


Wanted

by orphan_account



Category: Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Carmilla - Freeform, F/F, Fanfiction, Hollstein - Freeform, LGBT, LaFerry - Freeform, LaFontaine - Freeform, Laura Hollis - Freeform, Lesbians, Lola Perry - Freeform, Other, Vampires, Web Series, Werewolves, karnstein - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-06 05:24:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6740080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Hollis is a fresh graduate in journalism. She is a drug addict in heavy debt who went through rehab.</p><p>Carmilla Karnstein is a vampire with a dark past filled with enemies. </p><p>Werewolves are shrinking in population, and are one of Carmilla's biggest enemies. A window of opportunity for revenge is in Carmilla's grasp as Laura is wanted by the werewolf sanctuary.</p><p>Can Carmilla keep Laura out of the enemies grasp?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Creampuffs](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Creampuffs).



> This story is for everyone to do with the Carmilla webseries. 
> 
> Whether you're a creampuff or Elise, or Nat, or part of U by Kotex, this story is for you.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> ~Kingxo
> 
> Twitter: @ kingvanlis

New York City, 2015

She has a mix of slightly wavy brown hair with light streaks you could play with for days on end.

Her eyes lit up like gold whenever her father surprised her with a visit.

She loved her girlfriend Danny, whom she was with since almost a year ago with all her heart. Longtime high school sweethearts. 

The most innocent woman you'd think the world would not dare to spoil.

Yet here she was, waiting for a "young, caucasian man with a great beard" in the New York winter in nothing but a showy shirt and short shorts with a cargo jacket, standing under a dim light on a deserted road, waiting for a "blue pick up truck with bumper stickers". She cupped her hands over her mouth and breathed warm air into them and rubbed furiously. 

In the distance, faded twin lights of a vehicle moved closer towards her. She eyed the vehicle, watching it cough up disgusting exhaust and barely run on its faded wheels. The blue vehicle stopped in front of her. The window lowered to show a weighty, old man with what was certainly not a great beard.

"Princess Laura?" The man bit down on a cigarette butt and slid off his sunglasses. Sunglasses at this time of night should've repelled Laura instantly. 

"Yes." But it didn't repel her.

"Get that ass in here baby." The man chuckled, picking the butt of the cigarette out of his mouth, throwing it out the window in which Laura was looking into. She sighed and put on a smile, opening the door and climbing into the safety hazard of a vehicle and chugged down the road. 

•

Sex was only pleasurable to Laura unless it was with women, but drugs were more pleasurable than sex with women. So she didn't care.

He flipped her over, kissing her sloppily and aggressively. He then headed to his strewn clothes to get dressed. He didn't say a word, pulling up his jeans and pulling over a small blue t-shirt over his large torso. He was sweating like a pig. He walked past her and slapped the girl's butt once more.

"Don't forget to call." He winked as he fished two hundred dollar notes out of his back pocket and threw them onto the bed. He walked straight out of the motel room without another word. Another night, another sleaze.

The now named Laura went straight into the bathroom and got as much of the filth off of her as possible. She got dressed again and sat on the bed, collecting the two hundred dollars. She grabbed her bag from the floor and searched through it, pulling out a ziplock bag with ten or so joints of marijuana, staring at the glow as she ignited one, wondering how exactly her life had taken this turn. She put the roll to her lips and took a long drag, feeling smoke at the back of her throat and sizzle in her lungs. She sat on the bed with tears blurring her eyes, crumpling the two one hundred dollar notes in her hand. She snickered. She stood up and slung her bag around her shoulder, walking back into the bathroom and staring at her reflection through the cracked mirror. The cancer stick dangled between her lips.

"It's just this once." She tried to make herself believe it was, wiping her tears away only to smudge her eyeliner. She had the money for what she wanted. Two hundred would be plenty. As long as Danny didn't find out. I mean, why would she? She deleted the texts. It killed her knowing that Danny had sacrificed everything for her, only for her to knowingly backstab her and do it anyway. 

"You're such a slut." She whispered to herself. She traced her fingers over the dark rings under her eyes and dragged her fingertips down her bony cheeks to feel her rough skin. It was the cocaine the ruined her facial features. Not that she cared, coke was too good to pass up. Ashes spilt down her spaghetti top and scorched her left breast.

"Fuck."

She threw her joint down the toilet and flushed. 

"It's time to go now," She whispered to herself. She walked out of the motel room and realised that her pimp was her only ride. She stood in the dark under the malfunctioning motel sign, standing there and staring into space. The roads were empty, and she was in the middle of nowhere.

She went back into the motel and booked for another night.

•

Styria 1896

She had wavy black hair and deep eyes that got you lost every time.

She rocked leather better than the models on billboards, owning a body finer than Victoria's Secret models.

Her girlfriend was the most beautiful woman in the world; she was at home, caring for their beautiful young daughter. 

"Isabelle darling, I'm home." She shut the door behind her, removing her dark tweed coat and throwing it onto a rack. 

She turned around and removed her hat, tossing it onto a rickety wooden table. No reply came, so she assumed she was cooking. No smell wafted through the air as usual after her work. No cooking.

"Isabelle?" Carmilla looked down at her feet, noticing she hadn't picked up the mail. She turned around to look at the front door's busted lock.

"Isabelle, where are you, god damn." Carmilla walked into the living room to see Isabelle's back facing her. The living room was exactly as normal. Nothing was touched apart from many dirty footsteps leading to Isabelle. Isabelle was sat on the floor cross legged, rocking slowly.

"Isabelle! Mercy! What happened?!" Her boots clicked as she walked around Isabelle to see the horrendous sight. 

Her daughter lay in Isabelle's arms, bleeding in the head and unconscious. The blood leaked onto the floor, coating Isabelle's legs. Carmilla slid back, tripping on her shoes and falling onto the floor. She stared, not believing her eyes. Isabelle sat speechless, her arms on her daughter's arms and chest, as if some warmth could possibly transfer to her. 

"I heard Sir Conan Doyle's work is becoming increasingly popular." Isabelle whispered, staring straight ahead through tears. 

Carmilla looked at Isabelle's bruised face and messy hair. She pushed herself up slowly, staring at her daughter. She licked her dry lips, and cracked her knuckles, shutting her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. She rubbed her eyes, opening them again. This couldn't be real. 

"What happened?" Carmilla spoke softly, staring intently at her secret mistress.

Isabelle didn't say a word, instead laughing and turning to Carmilla. She shook her head, smiling. Carmilla's rage flooded her mind. She screamed with fury through the deep chasm in her chest, sliding the fine pottery and books of their shelves, shouting as she smashed the only mirror in the house. 

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Carmilla screamed once more, grabbing Isabelle by the arm and lifting her up. Isabelle didn't say a word, her face emotionless.

Carmilla threw her against the wall, making Isabelle fall weakly to the floor. She knelt to the floor, picking up her daughter's cold body. Her fingers trembled as she begged for her to wake up. 

"They came, Carmilla." Isabelle whispered.

"And you simply allowed them," Carmilla spoke loudly, choking on her words.

"I would never."

"I don't believe you." Carmilla murmured.

"I would never." She repeated.

No amount of kisses on her child's forehead would resuscitate the corpse. Carmilla lay the body down softly as she stood up. She looked at her girlfriend of a century.

"Go to hell, you damn inbred." She hissed.

She walked straight out of the living room, leaning down and pocketing a piece of smashed mirror. Storming to the bathroom, she grabbed the cleanest razor she could, placing it to one side as she wet her hair with a water bucket. Delving into her pockets, she wiped the shard of mirror with her sleeve and combed through her hair, staring into the small mirror piece. She used the razor and slid it across her long hair, cutting it to two inches of hair, repeating the process until she had short hair all over, making her unrecognisable. She combed through the wet hair and slicked it back.

She walked out the bathroom, past the living room where Isabelle's cries were heard. She grabbed her coat and hat. She opened the busted door and slammed it her behind her. She tucked her hat on head and slid into her coat, deciding to walk to the nearest train station a ten kilometers up the hill, about five hours walk. Not that she cared. She pulled out a pipe from her pocket and sprinkled a dose of tobacco into it. She lit it with a match and tossed it onto the ground where she stepped on it, still walking. 

"God save us all." She murmured, biting into the edge of her pipe, puffing to ignite it.


	2. The Scent of Weed

"Hey, babe. Where were you last night?" The tall red head walked over to the fair brunette and bent down to peck her on the lips. She paused and immediately smelled the narcotics within their proximity. 

"I uh, slept over at Perry's." Laura murmured unsurely. She smiled as she slipped off her shoes. She checked her phone. It was already 3pm? She must've woken up late. She went over to close the front door.

"Really?" Danny placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah." Laura smiled. Danny turned around and sighed.

"Laura please don't lie to me again."

"What do you mean, lie?" Laura questioned back. She was tired, frustrated, and she still had to choke back these morning after pills. They were quivering in their little foil pouches. Laura glanced at them at the top of her bag and immediately put her bag onto the sofa. This was the last thing she wanted Danny to see.

"Laura I can smell the weed on you!" Danny retorted back, yanking off the smaller girls jacket and shoving it in her face for her to smell. Laura looked up at Danny, her face was pink and the protruding veins in her neck were beginning to show.

"Why do you always assume that it's me who smokes it? I was at a party last night." Laura started raising her voice. While she was more convincing this time, Danny knew better.

"Then why has our account charged me for another cheap ass motel?" Danny paused in front of the smaller girl. Danny stomped off to the corner of the living room, clenching a bill in tightly in her fist. 

"This, THIS, is why I always assume you're the one who smokes it." She was now bright red with her fists shaking the piece of paper in Laura's face. They paused for a long time. Laura looked back up at her girlfriend and opened her mouth to reply, but her head couldn't form a suitable lie time. 

"You're back to it again, aren't you?" Danny whispered, her eyes glistening. She stared at her girlfriends hair, messy and tangled. All the tell tale signs were coming back.

"No, I'm not." Laura lied once more, her voice cracking on the last word as she tried to desperately cling on to their broken relationship.

"You know we don't need the money anymore, Laura. That's the whole reason I got this job anyway!" Danny yelled again before breathing in sharply. Her eyes welled up. "Yes," Danny shut her eyes and nodded as Laura took the paper out of her fingers. "You are back at it again, Laura." Danny turned on her foot and made a beeline for their bedroom. Laura tailed her quickly, holding back loose tears.

"No, Danny no please not again I'll stop I promise," Laura sobbed through her words. Her tears dribbled down her face and onto the crumpled credit card bill in her hand. "Please don't leave me again I can chan-"

"STOP! Not with this promise bullshit again! I am done with you, Hollis. I've chased after you for an entire year! I'm done trying to fix you when you can't even fucking fix yourself." Danny's voice was sharp enough to rip a physical hole in Laura. She pulled out a torn old duffel bag and began aggressively tossing her belongings into her back without any care for neatness. 

"Please Danny," Laura took a sharp breath trying to speak through her sobbing. "I can change, I promise give me a chance please." Laura ran up to Danny and held onto her arm to prevent her from moving her clothes into the bag. 

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Danny yelled with such ferocity, instantly following through with a power swing of her right hand. Instantaneously, a bright red hand mark was visible across the little one's face as she lay fallen on the floor. Her voice tore through Laura's mind as she began to sob violently. All she could do was slump against their bedroom door. She picked herself up and crawled to the doorknob locking it, not allowing Danny to leave.

"You can't leave, Danny, please don't." Laura used her small body to guard the handle so Danny couldn't unlock the door.

"Laura get out of my way." Danny's anger was quickly replaced by sadness again as she zipped up her bag and walked over to the guarded door. Laura's red raw eyes littered with streaks of tears were free flowing against her rugged face. Her body was trembling against the battered door, barely on its hinges. She looked visibly small and weak in comparison to it.

"No, Dan-Danny. Please don't go." Danny shut her eyes and dragged the girl away from the door and threw her onto the bed with little effort and swung the bedroom door wide open. "Danny, no please, I need you,"

"Shut up, Laura. You had your chance. " Danny stormed off down the hall and creaked the floorboards underneath her. She opened the front door and stood under the door frame, turning around and staring at Laura sobbing and laying on the bed, leaning up and looking at Danny. 

"Don't go." Laura let out one last final effort to get her to stay. Danny slammed the door behind her. Laura moaned loudly and curled up into a ball on the bed as she let the coldness of the tatty bedsheets comfort her. She rocked backwards and forwards on her side, letting her tears fall.

"Don't go." Laura whispered to herself softly. She tucked her head I between her knees and rocked continuously. "Don't leave me alone again."


	3. Safe Stranger

"Laura." 

"What?" I look up at her. She's blonde. 

"Laura."

"What?" She's so attractive.

"Laura."

"What?!" She's also so repetitive.

"Do you know who I am?" 

"No." I don't.

"My name is Isabelle." 

"And? Who are you?" She stands about two steps away from me.

"You'll see."

"When?" She pauses. She turns away and walks. "Isabelle?"

"Yes?" 

"Who are you?"

She comes to me slowly and uses her soft, tan fingers to gently guide loose strands of hair behind my ear. She's wearing all white. 

"The real question, Laura, is who are you?" I pause and bite my lip. "I'll answer that question for you, only because I'm nice." She twirls my hair between her index and thumb while walking behind me. She leans into my ear and uses her long nails to graze my neck gently. "You, Laura, you're mine." My goosebumps raise.

"You certainly like to use my name a lot." I laugh nervously while standing frigid.

"I like the way it rolls off my tongue."

I feel Isabelle walk around to my front again, staring into my eyes. I notice her eyes are flecks of blue.

I look down at my body and everything I'm wearing is white from the socks in my shoes to my shirt. 

The floor is white, the ceiling is white. 

Is this heaven?

•

She rolled over to her side and opened her eyes abruptly, her eyes burning at the direct contact with sunlight. She slumped up and noticed she was on the bed. Not in the bed, but on the bed. She'd probably fell asleep from crying too hard when Danny threw her onto the bed and left. She checked the time. 8pm. 

Laura got up and showered before changing into a flashy and suggestive outfit. Spritzing on a cheap, sickly, sweet perfume she checked her purse contents to see that there were only the two hundred dollar bills from last night. She needed more to pay off the rent and bills. Not only that, but she was in drug debt. She owed her dealer big time.

She shoved her purse into her bag and stormed out of the house. Fuck debt, she needed something to chill.

•

"Hey Cookie! Over here!"

"LaF! Perry! Hey guys!" Laura always had the ability to smile and act as if nothing in the world was wrong.

"Where have you been? We've been trying to call you all week!" Perry smiled and hugged the five foot two lady and offered a seat next to her.

"Oh you know, the usual. Still looking hardcore for a job."

"Damn, still no news?" LaFontaine looked across the dimly lit booth and played a concerned face. 

"Yeah, I don't get it. Fresh out of university with good grades and everything. They should be hot on your heels!" Perry nodded and munched a pretzel.

"Not exactly. I have barely any experience. And nobody's looking for an inexperienced journalist with a history like mine." Laura sighed and slumped into her seat. She looked up and smiled half-heartedly.

"Well..." Perry and LaFontaine both gave each other worried looks in attempt to relief Laura of disappointment.

"Don't worry about it guys." Laura stood up again and brought her purse. "I'm going to get a drink real quick, you guys want anything?"  

"Oh no thanks, we're still good."

"When did you guys start referring to each other as a we?" Laura smiled and walked to the bar knowingly leaving the "we're not a couple" blushing. The floor was busier that usual, most probably due to the fact that it was Saint Patrick's day today. The bar grounds were lit with a bright green light in the silhouette of a massive four leaf clover. Every corner of the room contained some source of green coloured object from green garments to dyed green Guinness pints. Laura bustled through the crowd and got knocked from big sweaty bodies and the intoxication of strong body sprays and perfumes. She checked her phone. 9:30pm.

"Hi, can I have a vodka cranberry please?"

"Sure, what vodka would you like?" 

"Do you have Skyy?"

"No sorry."

"Uh, Smirnoff?" She frowned.

"The last shift literally smashed the last bottle to bits."

"Right. What vodka do you have?"

"House?"

"Uh yeah, sure. Can you make a new tab for me please?" The bartender nodded. 

She slid out her phone and flipped through her texts. Nothing from Danny, however six from LaF and Perry. She must have left her phone alone for a long time. 

"Here's your drink... uh..."

"Laura."

"Here you go Laura." He smiled. The man winked at Laura and her heart rate sky rocketed. He smiled at her again and she smiled back. Hopefully another shift would take over soon. Guys hitting on her made her uneasy.

Laura walked back to the booth with a drink in her hand, skimming through Danny's old texts. Would she text? 

She almost tripped over her flats as she looked up from her phone to the booth. Seated next to Perry was an attractive blonde woman. With tan skin. The attractive blonde woman with tan skin. Laura blinked twice and swallowed discreetly. The first thing that popped into her head were the dreams. It couldn't possibly... It was just a dream. Isabelle was just a dream. Whoever the hell that even was.

"Laura! There's someone you need to meet." LaF nodded over to the young woman now in Laura's seat.

"Hey who's this?" Laura smiled and looked at the blonde and felt her gaze weaken instantly at the power of her piercing stare and blue eyes. Isabelle smirked so subtly that she swore that it was only her imagination.

"I'm Isabelle," she stuck her hand out at the still standing Laura.

"Hi," Laura quickly reciprocated and sat next to LaF. She avoided eye contact while grabbing a couple of pretzels in the centre of the table. All eyes were on her. She was unaware and sipped down three quarters of her drink.

"Woah there tiger. Relax." LaF giggled with her eyebrows raised. LaF and Perry were the only two people other than Danny that knew of her addictions. Laura gasped for air quietly as she thumped her glass down on the table.

"You okay?" whispered LaFontaine. Laura nodded in response, itching to feel the clean kick from the alcohol in her bloodstream.

"Anyway! What do you do, Isabelle?" Laura raised her voice over the loud crowd.

"I actually work for Channel Three news!" Isabelle replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm actually their hiring agent."

"Perfect for you, Laura! Maybe you two could sort something out. Laura here is a journalism graduate, she's out on the market." Perry smiled and sipped her apple juice. She never drank. She always told others she drank apple cider. The others sipped their drinks too quickly and the atmosphere was diminishing into awkwardness at a pacing rate. They all leaned back into their seats and looked at each other searching for conversation. Isabelle began to open her mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone else.

"Hey, cutie." All four around the booth craned their necks up and glanced at a smirking, tipsy, goth-like woman. She had wavy black hair with a side fringe, suiting a tight black corset and shiny leather black jeans. She wore dark green eyeshadow in retrospect for the celebration. Laura swallowed her drink. 

"Excuse me?" Isabelle shot daggers at the woman. 

"I wasn't talking to you, blondie." The woman said again. She slurred the word 'talking'.

"Do I know you?" Laura looked up and saw the stranger put her arm around the seat she was in. She was surprisingly charming.

"Not yet you don't." She smirked again. "I, am Carmilla." She laughed. "And you, you are really cute." She held a red solo cup in her right hand and finished the contents. 

"Don't worry guys I'll take care of this." Isabelle stood up. "Piss off, goth." She grabbed Carmilla's arm around Laura and tried to shove her away. Carmilla didn't move a single inch. She paused in front of Isabelle and her dark chocolate eyes shut and opened vermillion. She shoved Isabelle over with such force onto the booth table and crunched the glasses underneath her. Isabelle shrieked as smithereens of glass pierced her back. Isabelle's mouth was wide open as her eyes did the same. She froze with her arms bent leaning on the table, looking up at Carmilla with a shock expression. Laura, LaFontaine and Perry stood up with faces of disgust and jumped over the seats of the booth away from the danger.

"Don't fucking touch me." Carmilla hissed. The rest of the bar was oblivious and only a few bystanders turned around to see the mess. "Fucking inbred." Isabelle flinched at the words, immediately cutting the 'in pain' act.

To Laura's horror, Isabelle sat up and simply plucked the glass shards out of her back without as so much a twitch of the face. Isabelle's face was frighteningly neutral. She opened her mouth and laughed hysterically without any sense of humour visible in her eyes.

"I'm not an inbred. I am simply different to your kind. We have been over this. Don't forget." Isabelle spoke in a new, terrifyingly deep voice. "You seem to have forgotten."

"Oh I never fucking forget." Carmilla grabbed Isabelle's shirt and pulled her in close. "Stay the fuck away from her." 

"Why? Since when was she your little slut?" Isabelle laughed. Carmilla let go of Isabelle's shirt and stood back, forming a fist and gritting her teeth. She put her left foot forward and used the momentum in her chest to swing her right fist straight with her knuckles aimed for her soft spot. She did not hold back.

"Ssshit." LaFontaine cringed and looked in the other other direction. Laura's mouth was open in awe while Perry gripped LaFontaine's hand white. Isabelle lay unconscious and awkwardly positioned on the table while Carmilla looked to the three quivering women in the corner behind the booth. She glanced at Laura staring at the body laying in the blood.

"She's not dead." Carmilla assured, grabbing her wrist gently and dragging her softly behind her. Laura lashed her arm out of the dark woman's grasp.

"There is no way you can possibly think I am allowing you to take me anywhere." Laura looked up at the taller woman with petrified eyes. Laura turned and looked at Perry hugging LaFontaine. 

"You're not safe here." Carmilla sighed and shut her eyes. Laura twisted her body on her feet swiftly.

"You think I'm gonna be any safer with you?! You called me cute two seconds ago and knocked someone out the next! I wouldn't call that safe," Laura exasperatingly shouted in one breath. Carmilla glared at the woman before her and simply grabbed her forearm. Carmilla walked out with Laura struggling behind her.

"Hey! Let go of me! LaF! Perry! Help!" Laura squealed but to no avail. 

The night was young, and the people were all out. Body after body shoved against her, flecks of alcohol spilling on her for every body she touched. Loud voices and pop music filled her ears and drowned out her small voice dispersing from her even smaller body. The green lights shone on the stranger in front of her's dark outfit, making her vision slightly fuzzy. The alcohol was getting to her. She was a god damn light weight. Carmilla opened the heavy front doors of the bar with ease and dragged Laura behind her to the car park. They walked upon an expensive car as Carmilla unlocked it.

"Get in." Carmilla urged.

"No, no, no Perry... LaF," Laura's eyes were failing her and her movements were lightly uncoordinated. 

Carmilla opened the passenger seat and shoved her into her white Maserati, locking the door behind her. She walked around the front and shut the door once she was in the car. She slid the keys in and twisted. The engine roared.

"Let's have some fun." Carmilla smirked. Laura displayed an anxious reaction to the words as Carmilla sped down the lot. 

•

"Why are we here?" Laura's eyes adjusted to the bright lights from the convenience stores below them. 

"Just wait." Carmilla held Laura's hand and helped her out of the car. 

Laura's balance was slowly recovering, but still nowhere near what Laura wanted. She wanted to run. Punch the girl in the gut and run. She looked down at her other hand and was surprised to find she had held a hold of her purse the whole time. She attempted to pull her phone out of her purse and checked the time. 10:47pm. Carmilla led her out through a large gate somewhere possibly on the other side of town. 

"Where are we?" Laura asked again, naive of Carmilla's reply.

"Just wait, sundance." She laughed. 

Her laugh was strange. It was dark and mystic, yet somewhat uplifting. She'd never heard anything like it. It was an enigma. They walked down and out of the car, Carmilla leading them both to a massive mansion lit with a fortunes worth of illuminations. In front them was a small garden and a small fountain in the middle of a gravel roundabout.

"What is this place? Is it yours?" Laura looked up at Carmilla and felt herself able to control herself a bit more. Carmilla didn't speak, simply walking toward the mansion's massive oak doors engraved with fine filigree. Carmilla walked to the right side of the door and pressed a button.

"Armitage, it's me." A few seconds of pause and the doors opened. Carmilla stepped onto the sand coloured marble steps leading up to the doors.

"Well," she looked at Laura "Shall we?" 

Laura paused and questioned her options. She could run now, but there was barely any transportation nearby. She didn't even know where she was. Typical Laura, being stuck with an assaulting stranger in the middle of nowhere. Her father would murder her if Carmilla didn't first. Laura walked behind her and slid on the marble under her flats. Carmilla walked into the mansion floored with more elegant marbled flooring and a royal staircase right in the middle leading up to the next story up.

"Miss Karnstein, you never implied you would be having a guest over tonight." Laura eyed what she assumed must be the 'Armitage' Carmilla was talking to.

"Well, it is Saint Patrick's day isn't it? Luck is all around. Of course I have a guest." Carmilla smirked.

"Very good, madam." Armitage winked at her employer and walked into one of the halls in the massive home. Laura stared in awe all around her at the riches and fancy luxuries.

"Now then, shall I show you to our room?" Carmilla raised her eyebrows and raised a finger up in the direction of the stairs. 

"I want to know why we're here." Laura was confident enough to throw a little edge to her voice. The alcohol was majorly cleared, and now she was back in gear. She folded her arms.

"Of course, but I think you'd rather want to know sitting on a bed than standing in the middle of my hallway." The dark haired girl raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Fine." Laura said lightly and followed the stranger up the long staircase up to an exchange of three corridors. They went straight ahead through the middle corridor and walked to the door at the very end of the hallway. Carmilla opened the door and led Laura in first and followed. She locked the door behind her.

"Is that uh, really necessary?" Laura asked.

"Just a precaution. We can't have people listening in on us, can we?" Carmilla spoke in a husky, quiet voice. 

"Listening in on what?" Laura got the hints of sexual innuendo and wanted out. Carmilla sighed and searched through her drawers, changing the pace of atmosphere.

"You're not safe, Laura."

"What do you mean not safe?"

"There are people who are after you."

"What? People after me? What did I do?"

"Nothing. They just want you."

"Want me for what?" Laura's skepticism was growing with every word Carmilla said.

"I don't know." Carmilla walked over to Laura and sat on the bed. Laura ignored the flat out lie. The dark headed woman patted on the bed next to her and Laura walked to sit.

"I have a question." Laura blinked. She hesitated before deciding sit next to Carmilla.

"Do you not?" Carmilla sighed and sat closer to the light brunette.

"Who is Isabelle? And why did you knock her out?"

"Isabelle is an old, how should I say, uh, friend. I knocked her out because I suspected she was after you."

"What? But I don't even know her."

"Exactly. The less you know, the better. Makes you an easier target."

Laura paused. This made no sense at all. She was about to explain the dreams she had and the weirdness of being near Isabelle, but she held her tongue.

"And besides, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Carmilla raised her arm up to Laura's cheek and caressed it. "You're too perfect to be spoilt by anyone." Carmilla's hand lowered down to Laura's neck and she slid her arm around her waist.

"You're too pure to be spoilt by anyone, but me." Carmilla leaned in and kissed Laura slowly and softly. Carmilla pulled away and looked at the stunned girl's expression. Laura looked into the Carmilla's eyes in front of her and saw the vivid red showing again. Within seconds Laura found her waist being controlled by Carmilla's entrancing eyes, edging forward to kiss the her again. Carmilla used her hands to twist Laura under her on the bed and within seconds she straddled the younger woman. Carmilla saw Laura's discomfort once her hypnotics dissipated. 

"Laura."

"What?"

"Look into my eyes." Carmilla used her eyes again and saw Laura's turn red. She was now under Carmilla's total control. Laura wouldn't do a thing. Her memory from this moment on would be dysfunctional.

"It'll be alright." Carmilla murmured to Laura. She took Laura's arms and placed them on the pillows and used her hips to pin Laura's down.

"Everything will be just fine," Carmilla looked into Laura's eyes intently, and Laura's relaxed face morphed into an unreadable expression.

Carmilla felt uncomfortable, weighing the option of either using mind control now or wiping her memory tomorrow. Carmilla decided to let go of the mind control.

"Laura." Carmilla whispered, millilitres from her lips.

"Yeah?" Laura now played a slightly surprised but not displeased expression.

"Would you like to have sex?" 

Laura raised an eyebrow at Carmilla, unsure on what to say. She had never been so explicitly asked this way before.

"Sure." Laura decided to play along, seeing where things would lead. 

Carmilla grinned, going straight for Laura's neck, only planting kisses. For now.


	4. Homeless

"Unfgh." Laura moaned, turned her body around, and used the sheets to cover her head. 

Her head was pounding. She opened her eyes to see the room was still dark, and more importantly, Carmilla-less. She was the only one in the king sized bed. She slid onto her bare bottom and stood up to explore the room. She froze. Where were her clothes? Walking over nude to the bar table, a sheet of paper with black marker writing on it was tucked under a glass of water alongside two pills of painkiller.

"Hey." 

Laura turned around and saw Carmilla holding a stack of clothes and threw them onto the unmade bed.

"Um." Laura covered herself with her hands and blushed madly.

"Don't worry, there's nothing down there I haven't seen before." Carmilla smiled.

"Wait. What did we uh...?" Laura trailed off hoping to leave out the explicit details.

"Long story short, we had sex." Carmilla said it so nonchalantly that Laura wouldn't have thought twice to do it again right then. 

"I don't remember anything."

"I know."

"How?" Laura scowled slightly. "Did you spike my drink?"

"No."

"Then why don't I remember anything? I don't even remember where we are." Laura looked up at the high ceiling and the entirety of the spacious master bedroom. 

"You never knew where we were apart from the fact that this was my house. You don't remember anything because, well." Carmilla thought of a good reason, but none came. She simply shrugged, hoping whatever popped into Laura's head would suffice.

"Oh." Laura thought back to Isabelle. She decided not to bring it up. 

"I had fun." Carmilla kept her face straight and walked over to Laura and lifted her up onto the table, knocking the water off the table along with the pills and note.

"You have a really bad habit of knocking things off of tables."

"Oh, tell me about it." Carmilla smiled with her teeth. This was the only time Laura ever really had a glance at the stranger's oral set. Her teeth were perfect, clean, white and her breath smelt good. Really good. Like she'd never eaten any of the rubbish GMO, addictive, fattening foods on the market today. Her teeth were too perfect. Carmilla leaned in and kissed Laura again. When she pulled back, Laura could see that Carmilla looked at her in a way that gave the impression she was hungry.

"So, how much?" Carmilla kissed her on the cheek and walked to a sock drawer, sorting through some objects. "Five hundred? Nine? I'm feeling generous."

"What?" Laura hopped off the table and grabbed a shirt and jeans from the stack of clothing. "Where are my clothes?" 

"Here." Carmilla walked over to the stack of clothes and picked out a few of Laura's garments. Laura swapped them and pulled her fresh clothes over her au naturel body.

"So what do you mean, how much?"

"How much you want for the night?" Carmilla paused and walked up to her, stopping about a foot away.

"Wait, you only brought me here to have sex with you?" Laura frowned and put her hands on her hips. 

"Well, I thought I might as well pay-"

"You what?! I thought you brought me here because I was in danger!" Laura stepped closer to Carmilla. 

"So you do remember some things." Carmilla sighed.

"This is rubbish, I can't believe it. I'm not in any danger. You knocked out an innocent woman on Saint Patrick's day because she had more of a chance with me than you did!" Laura was on the verge of screaming.

"No, Laura. You actually are in dang-"

"Were you WATCHING me in that bar?!"

"What? Only because you were in dang-"

"You're sick! Wrong in the head!"

"Laura let me EXPLAIN." Carmilla walked to her and placed her hands on her arms.

"Using the 'danger' rubbish was to get in my pants! Now you want to pay me off?!"

"LAURA! Shut up for god's sake and listen to me!" Carmilla shook Laura's shoulders to get her to calm down. Laura made a face of disgust and spit in Carmilla's face, her saliva covering landing on her lips and mouth.

"Fuck you." Laura hissed. She stormed out of the room and almost got lost through the intimidatingly large hallways. 

She walked straight down the staircase past all the expensive paintings, luxurious chandeliers and lighting, ceiling length velvet curtains and fine fireplaces. Laura gripped her purse and heaved with all her might against the massive mansion doors to get them to open. A tiny gap eventually gave way, but shut again. Someone grunted behind her. She turned.

"Um, Armitage." Laura smiled sternly.

"Miss Hollis." Armitage nodded. He stood behind the struggling woman.

"You know my surname?"

"Yes, madam. We know a lot about you." He smiled genuinely.

"That isn't freaky at all." Laura scolded.

"Do you need help with that, madam?" Armitage nodded at the massive oak doors.

"Right. Yes." 

"Of course." Armitage pulled a pad of buttons from his breast pocket and pressed the largest one. The dark doors opened slowly and elegantly.

"Thank you." Laura smiled.

"The front gates should be open as well, miss Hollis. Before you go, are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for breakfast? Any refreshments? Tea? Coffee?"

"I'd like a refreshment please. I'd like you to tell Carmilla to go fuck herself. That should be quite refreshing." Laura spoke confidently and spun on her heel. She stormed away on the gravel. It was cold. And painful. Very sharp indeed.

Crap. She had forgotten her shoes.

When she turned around, the oak doors were already closed, meaning she had to knock. She ran up to the doors quickly and knocked thrice. 

"Miss Hollis?" Armitage's voice played through a speaker.

"Yeah, hi. I've forgotten my uh, shoes."

"Certainly."

Laura watched as the oak doors opened automatically once more, glancing at a Carmilla standing right in the opening of the doors holding Laura's shoes.

"Want them back?" Carmilla stuck her arm out for Laura to grab her shoes. Laura slowly leaned in to take her shoes without taking her eye off Carmilla. She turned around and walked away with the shoes in her hands. She was halfway across the roundabout when she turned around to see Carmilla's singular dark figure still between the colossal doors watching her. She turned again and kept walking. She'd have to find a method of transit.

•

"No Mrs. Kravitz, I have." Laura said sternly. 

"No, no, no, no, no, you did not." Mrs. Kravitz turned and checked the papers in her hands again, adjusting her glasses.

"Just give me one more week-"

"No, no, no can not. I give you one week last week. You still did not pay me." The old woman was in her late fifties and had grey hairs failing to blend in to her brunette bun. Her Russian accent was making it difficult for Laura to comprehend her.

"You live across the hall from me, right? You can kick me out in one week I just need the time. Please." Laura pleaded. Mrs. Kravitz sighed. 

"Look, Laura, you are good kid, but I need the rent money to feed me and my kids! You know Michel doesn't come back for another eight months. That fucking pig." She spat.

"But then where am I supposed to go?" Laura put her head in her hands and leaned against the Kravitz' doorframe. One of Mrs. Kravitz children burst out into tears. 

"Laura, I'm sorry but I don't know. I really must go." Mrs. Kravitz put her hand on the poorly maintained door and began to close it.

"No, please, I can pay double if you just let me stay another week-"

"Laura, you said you will pay me triple last week!" Mrs. Kravitz pressed her thin lips together tightly and adjusted her glasses again. One of the dogs from upstairs started barking, making the situation unbearable.

"I can pay you triple!"

"Goodbye, Laura." Mrs. Kravitz frowned and slammed the door unmeaningly. 

Laura's eyes instantly welled up as she stormed into her old apartment and started packing all her clothes into a small suitcase. Her eyes were blurry and her vision was blinded by her anger. All of the hard work between her and Danny over the past year went down the drain all because she wanted another key of coke. Unbelievable. Greediness on her part was now karma was biting her in the butt, making her cough up ten thousand dollars worth of bills this second. She couldn't, and that was that. 

•

Laura stepped back and squatted as she admired her set up for the night. A piece of thin, damp cardboard, an inflated, empty bag of potatoes as a pillow, a thick insulated jacket as a duvet, and her bag of belongings just to the side. She was in the middle of an alley a few blocks down, hoping to find a small one that wouldn't cost her too much trouble with other homelessness and gangsters. 

She crawled onto the cardboard and leaned against the brick wall, admiring an aged picture of her and Danny at a festival. They both looked happy in it, and Laura's tears were instantly triggered by the flashback of good memories. She placed the photo on her lips and kissed it, holding it tight to her chest. She let her arms droop and she slagged against the brick wall. She'd lost her phone somewhere, most likely at Carmilla's. 

She lay down and looked up at the peeling paint on the emergency exits above her and the crows swooping in and out. The moon was bright and was her only source of illumination. She placed her hand on her forehead and breathed in deeply, trying to sleep and put an end to her tears.

"I'm so sorry Danny." she whispered to herself. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it over her curled body. For once in her life, she was thankful for her small body.

•

"Wake up," 

Laura felt herself grabbed up from her cardboard accommodation and slammed against a wall roughly. Strong fists twisted Laura's giraffe patterned shirt tightly. Laura was too unconscious in sleep and didn't notice the man touching her explicitly. It was still dark. She groaned.

He laughed at Laura's groaning, mistaking it for moaning. He breathed nasally and heavily. His large hands scooped under her shirt and cupped her breasts in her bra. Laura's eyes adjusted barely and her breathing hitched, her eyes glancing upon a moonlit bald man, about an entire foot taller than her. His fingers were as fat as sausages, and his scowl was menacing. His mouth was close enough for Laura to smell the strong rancid alcohol and stale cigarettes, almost making her wrench her stomach inside out. She gasped and coughed. The man grabbed her hair and pinned her head back against the wall.

"Now, we can do this nicely. So don't make a single damn sound." He rasped. Laura writhed and attempted to jump his grasp, being almost certainly unable.

"No, please." Laura choked out. She grimaced as the man started placing kisses down her neck and across her collarbone, undoing her pants simultaneously.

"No." Laura whispered again, holding back desperate tears. She'd been crying too much lately, it made her wonder whether it was possible to run out of tears. 

"Shut up." He growled. He slapped her across the face with his monstrous hands and she swore her eyes must've fallen out due to the appalling force. "I said no sounds." 

Her face stung and she was losing this battle. It was like an ant trying to avoid being stepped on by a line of marching officers. The slap across her face reminded her of Danny's a few days prior. Her breathing increased and her heart raced. His hand grabbed her arm and dragged her off the floor, sliding down her jeans and making her trip onto her face.

"Nice ass." He laughed, exploiting the view. Laura winced with her face still on the floor. She was in a vulnerable position, making it too easy for the man to manipulate her however he pleased. 

"Please don't." She whimpered, attempting to push herself up. He used his heavy work boots and stomped down on her small back to prevent her from getting back up. 

"I told you to shut the fuck up, didn't I?" He had a strong nasally accent that made Laura despise him. 

His fingers reached to fiddle with her underwear, and she gritted her teeth. She panicked and acted on reflexes, slamming her elbow into his ankle, making an echoing snapping sound. He screamed in agony. She took the opportunity to throw the screaming man's leg off her back by grabbing his shin with her free hand and slamming it against the wall.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" He screamed. He groaned and whimpered as he lay against the brick wall. Laura took the opportunity and pulled her jeans up, grabbed her bag and jacket and ran. She ran around the corner and kept running until she was almost certain to faint, unaware of her direction. She looked down at her shoes, feeling a distinct pain coming from one of the shoes. A large pebble had probably somehow become lodged into it. 

She came upon a familiar, quiet street and she stopped, pausing on the corner of the road while panting. She shut her eyes and sat down on to the pavement, putting her head in between her thighs and looking down at the granite beneath her feet. She broke down into tears and used her shirt to wipe them away. So it was possible to still cry after all. She looked up at the barely lit street and the puddles from the rain earlier. She sighed. She heard footsteps from her right and she glanced. Nothing. She really was losing it. Natural selection was coming for the weak like her. 

But then another footstep. And another. They trailed until they were right behind her.

"You need a ride?" A cold hand was placed on her shoulder and pricked her senses. Laura looked up.

"No," Laura winced. "No, no, not you again."


	5. Beauty's Beholder

Laura slumped her head against the door window and stared at the blurry lights amongst the closed shops. The streetlights were becoming more prominent as they reached the more populated urban areas.

"Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" Laura whispered. Her body was feeble, and she couldn't spare to throw any venom into her retorts.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"That didn't answer my question." Laura raised her head off the window and turned to look at the girl driving. 

The lights faded in and out quickly as they sped past each lamp post. It shined on Carmilla's black, wavy hair. It looked comforting to run her fingers through the dark locks. 

"I care because I," Carmilla paused. She didn't turn and look at Laura, she kept her hands on the steering and stared ahead. She didn't actually care. She did, but only because the werewolves wouldn't be getting what they wanted. But as for Laura, she wasn't too sure. 

Laura slumped her head against the window again, hugging her bag on her lap.

"Laura, I know who you are." Carmilla sighed.

"Great."

"No, I know things about you." 

Laura paused. 

"Fine. Hit me." Laura clenched her jaw.

"Well for starters, you have a girlfriend named-"

"Wrong. I had. I had a girlfriend." Laura looked at Carmilla's eyes moving quickly at every twist and turn on the road. 

"Oh." 

A silence took over for about three minutes, letting Laura shut her eyes and rest.

"What happened?"

Laura's eyes opened a little, and they shut again.

"It's a long story."

Carmilla paused and swallowed. She probably didn't know Laura as well as she'd thought. The information they collected must've been old. Turns out the information went sour quickly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was my fault."

"I'm sure it wasn't." Carmilla used freed a hand from the wheel and patted Laura's knee, smiling as she turned her head away from the road for the first time. 

Laura's heart jumped at the contact. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, another repeating enigma. Carmilla had something comforting about her, but Laura wasn't about to cosy up yet.

"I don't know about that." 

"According to my GPS, we have time. So feel free to rant on me." She used the same free hand and touched a little screen on her dashboard. 

"Whatever the hell a GPS even is." She muttered under her breath. Laura giggled.

"What?"

"What." Laura repeated.

"Why did you laugh?" Carmilla smiled at Laura still stifling a laugh.

"Do you not know how to work your GPS?"

"No, I don't."

"Well you should."

"Well I don't." Carmilla showed a slight irritance. Laura giggled more.

"What?"

"It's funny."

"Whatever." Carmilla rolled her eyes. "If you're so smart, then how do you work it?" 

Laura leaned towards the dashboard and tapped a few times on the touch screen gadget.

"I need to know where we're going." Laura's sentence faded as Carmilla never really established where they were headed.

"We're going back to my house."

"Why?"

"You're safer there."

"Okay what do I need to be safe from, can you tell me that?"

"No not yet-"

"Why not?"

"Things are complicated right now."

"You're right about that." Laura scowled and leaned back in her passenger seat. 

"Make a left at the next turn." 

Carmilla jolted upright as the GPS came to life with the programmed voice, making her drive her foot straight into the brakes. They both shot forward in their seats as they stopped. Laura couldn't help but burst into more laughter.

"Damned thing." Carmilla slammed her fist into the GPS to show dismay at the technology. 

Laura laughed and held her stomach as she breathed in deeply.

"Remind me to get rid of this garbage." Carmilla shut her eyes and threw her head onto the steering wheel roughly, clearly with enough force as the airbag in the drivers seat inflated, bursting Carmilla's head back into the seat's head rest at a ravishing speed.  

"Carmilla! Are you okay?" Laura snorted as she dropped her bag to her feet and put her hands up to Carmilla's head.

"Make a left now."

"Ugh." Carmilla groaned and raised her head. Laura burst out into another fit of giggles.

"I'll call a taxi." She said in between eruptions of laughter.

"God damn GPS." Carmilla moaned.

• 

"The kitchen is that way. There are six bathrooms upstairs too."

"What do you do for a living again?" Laura spoke sarcastically as she inspected an oil painting over the fireplace.

"My occupation is irrelevant." Carmilla smirked as she joined Laura in admiring the beauty of the painting. She paused, placing her hands into her back pockets. Carmilla stood slightly behind Laura, admiring her body. Laura's hair was a mix of browns and it was beautiful. Laura's petit shape meant her clothing was always a little bit larger on her than the average person, adding a factor of cuteness.

"You know, I never finish any of my paintings to my satisfaction." 

Laura looked at her.

"You painted this?" Laura parted her mouth.

"Yes. I don't buy paintings, I paint my own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say." 

Laura agreed with a gentle nod.

"The things I find the most beautiful in the world cannot be replicated by another artist's imagination, no matter how hard they try." 

Laura blinked and shut her mouth. Her mind was entranced by the words of this unusual character standing parallel to her in front of a painting she created. Carmilla's mind was definitely something worth spending time to explore. 

"Take the Mona Lisa for example." Carmilla continued. 

"It is one of the most widely regarded artworks in the world. Many people think it is absolutely beautiful. Some don't. As for da Vinci himself, he had to go over and paint some things several times. Researchers put the painting under an infra red light and saw that he made many changes. He may never have been content with his painting. No matter how beautiful it may have been to others, it was not the most beautiful thing da Vinci wanted it to be." Carmilla nodded and walked over to a glass table that served different alcoholic drinks. She poured herself a whiskey. 

"Would you like something?"

"I uh, can't. Sorry." Laura shook her head knowing exactly what consequences would dawn on her if she sipped any alcohol.

"Hmm." Carmilla took a sip of her glass and finished it in one go. 

Carmilla put it down onto the table and used a finger to urge Laura to follow her. Laura followed, escorting them up the main stairs and up another. Carmilla led them into a bedroom similar to where they slept the night before, climbing right into the wardrobe.

"What-?" Laura spoke. 

"Shh." Carmilla grabbed two scarves from the rack in the wardrobe and clicked a small silver button on the body of the wood, opening a thin door to a narrow, dark, staircase. She shut the thin wardrobe door and it locked back in place with a click.

The newfound darkness was intimidating to say the least in the cramped space, but Carmilla was indifferent to it. Carmilla reached for Laura's hand and she gave it to her to hold as a guide up the dark path. Comfortable, they walked hand in hand up the stairs with Carmilla in front. Carmilla let go of Laura's hand to open a door, allowing a gush of wind and dim lights through the doorway. Carmilla stepped through first, holding the door for Laura like a gentlewoman.

"Carmilla," Laura gasped softly as a mix of new sights and cold bites influenced her. 

"Take this." Carmilla said softly, handing her a scarf. Laura took it eagerly, wrapping it around her neck snugly. 

Laura walked to the edge of the roof, placing her hands on the glass barriers. It was essentially the only thing keeping her from plummeting fifteen feet onto the road below. 

She looked directly across to a bunch of taller skyscrapers and smaller buildings. Lights twinkled close and far, giving an amazing depth to the breathtaking scenery. The road below was littered with yellow taxis, black Mercedes and other brand cars of the colour spectrum. People were walking in gangs out of alleys and couples were holding hands out of the cinemas. It made her uneasy. It was the type of unusual beauty that delivered butterflies being fifteen feet up and inspecting the hectic grounds below like a god. It was inspirational to simply breathe standing in the position.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Carmilla used a warm hand and placed it on the bottom of Laura's back.

"Yeah, it is." Laura smiled as she looked next to her and saw Carmilla's serious face was softened by the warm glow of empty work offices and electronic billboards. She didn't seem to fit in with any of this.

"Carm?"

Carmilla's stomach erupted with butterflies at the mention of the nickname. It had been years since she'd been called a nickname. Decades even.

"Yeah?"

"On Saint Patrick's day, you were drunk."

"Was I?" Carmilla murmured it more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah, so, you called me 'cutie'." She breathed and fiddled with the fray of the scarf. "Do you really?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, according to you we've kinda uh, done it already, so..."

"Sex does not equate to how I feel about you."

"Oh." Laura's heart grew heavy in disappointment. She breathed in heavily.

"But yeah, you're not too bad." Carmilla smiled and looked down at Laura. Laura's face smiled softly at her words and she hugged the girl next to her. Laura smiled while nuzzling her head into Carmilla's scarf. Carmilla wrapped her arm around her and breathed in deep. They both stared at the small lights that dazzled the city, listening to the honking and city chatter, even late at night. All these people still alive more than ever. All these couples. Couples. Danny.

"Hey, I lost my phone a couple nights ago. Do you have any idea where it might be?"

"Yeah, Armitage found it on the gravel outside the front doors. You dropped it." Carmilla looked down at Laura, glaring at her lips. 

Laura noticed, repeating the glance down to Carmilla's dark red lips, a perfect contrast to her beautiful pale face. Laura looked up to Carmilla's eyes and saw the dark brown in them that made them so hollow, so unforgiving, yet here she was, snuggling up to this mistaken person.

"You okay?" Carmilla murmured, whispering under the mild whistle of the cold wind.

"Yeah. Are you?" Laura murmured back, seeing the question hit a soft spot with Carmilla. 

Laura watched Carmilla look at the lights, waiting for a reply. Carmilla looked down at Laura again, this time looking sadder. Far sadder. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Laura said, adjusting her view on Carmilla. 

Carmilla's eyes shaded a light pink under the dim lights of the outside world as she looked right through Laura's eyes. Carmilla leaned in slowly, keeping her eyes on Laura's, only shutting them once she felt Laura's warm lips on hers. 

Laura felt the cold from Carmilla's lips between hers, making it a bittersweet experience, yet slightly more sweet than bitter.

Carmilla pulled away, adjusting her scarf.

"No. I'm not okay." Carmilla murmured, wishing not to revisit her dark past. 

"Why?"

"Do you wanna go collect your phone?" Carmilla suggested, changing the subject.

"Do you mind if I go get it? I need to check it."

"Yeah sure." Carmilla took her warm grasp of the smaller girl away and slowly dawdled to the exit, leading first again. 

•

Laura flipped through her phone, checking her text history with Danny repeatedly to check she didn't miss anything. Once she was content for the next minute, she tucked her phone into her pocket. 

Carmilla flicked the ball with her toe and got it to bounce once before slamming it into the top right corner of the net.

"Holy cow you're good." Laura exclaimed at the girl. Laura glanced down at the girls footwear. Carmilla donned black football boots with the trademark tick on the toes coloured a dark red. She got them customised with a CK in the same red engraving on both boots.

"What does CK stand for?"

"My name."

"What is it?"

"Carmilla Karnstein." 

"I'm guessing you're of German descent?" Laura read Karnstein as a hint.

"Austrian. Good guess though. Some think I'm Mexican."

Laura laughed and sat down onto the benches. Carmilla jogged to grab the football and joined Laura on the seats. Laura checked her phone again for the time. 2am. 

"I had fun today. I got to know you a lot better."

"Yeah, me too. I haven't done this in a while." Carmilla smiled, brushing her hair back with her fingers. Laura slipped the football out of Carmilla's arm and gripped it with her fingertips. Carmilla looked at Laura staring down at the ball, playing with it.

"It's late. I'd better go Carm." Laura looked at the pale, fine legged athlete bouncing her knee up and down.

"I'll drive you." Carmilla began to stand when Laura held her wrist. 

"No don't, I'll take the bus." Laura excused. She couldn't let Carmilla drive her home. She didn't have a home.

"There is no bus service in this district. And the taxis are ridiculously expensive in this end of town. I'll drive you." Carmilla repeated.

"It's fine I'll take a taxi then." Laura stood up next to Carmilla.

"Why? They're about a eighty bucks a pop." 

"That's no problem." She fibbed. "You must be busy with your job. It's Monday tomorrow. I'm assuming you have a regular job because you have loads of riches,"

"I don't."

"Well, it's late anyway-"

"Stay with me. I'll drive you out tomorrow morning." Carmilla interrupted. Her held her head up and she played with her fingers. Laura paused. 

"What do you do for a living that doesn't need you to wake up early on a Monday morning? And yet you still have a massive house and all these fine things."

"What can I say? I enjoy the finer things in life." Carmilla laughed at the floor.

"Are you sure you won't mind?" 

"No." Carmilla looked back up into Laura's eyes. She saw the younger girl thinking about it for a minute, before seeing a spark.

"Well then, I guess I could stay." Laura smiled, putting an arm around Carmilla. 

"Good choice." Carmilla grinned.

"Well then. Show me to my room." Laura grinned back, holding her arm out fancily. She didn't know why she accepted the offer, but a mansion was certainly better than wet cardboard.

•

Laura lay in her king sized bed for the second night in a row in Carmilla's mansion. Her phone told her it was 4:30am but she felt restless. She sat up in her bed and went through her messages again. Nothing from Danny. She hovered over Danny's number and thought about it. 

Where is she?

How is she?

Does she miss me?

Laura tapped the number with her thumb and placed the phone to her ear. It rang four times.

"Delete this number." The stern voice replied. Laura was winded by her reply. It was Danny. Her ex. Danny had answered her call.

"Danny." 

"Laura, I want you to delete this number."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you calling me anymore."

"Oh." Laura choked.

"Delete this number." 

The line ended and left Laura blinking with her phone still at her ear. 

Her room door opened and revealed Carmilla's silhouette. 

"Hey." Carmilla denounced.

"Hey." Laura lowered her phone as Carmilla walked over to her bed and sat next to her. 

Laura looked at the dark woman and wondered many things. She had so many things to ask her and tell her. Particularly about Isabelle.

"You okay?" Carmilla asked with a husky sleep voice.

"I guess. You?"

"Not really."

"Why?"

"I can't sleep."

"Yeah, me too."

Carmilla nodded and ran her fingers over Laura's velveteen duvet repeatedly.

"You thinking about something?" Laura asked, putting her palm over Carmilla's fidgeting hand.

"As a matter of fact, I am." Carmilla paused. Something wasn't right. "Remember when I told you were in danger?" 

"Yeah?"

"Isabelle, she uh, is actually an old person in my life."

"Then why would you do that to her?"

"I'm getting to that. Well, it turns out she was my uh, ex. She was the stereotypical, mad ex girlfriend." Carmilla licked her dry lips.

Laura nodded.

"I fell in love with her a century back," 

"What?! Century? Woah how old are you?" Laura chuckled.

Carmilla froze. She couldn't let Laura know. No way. Not yet at least. But then how else could she explain the situation to her?

"Well it feels like a century ago. And uh, well, we broke up and uh," Carmilla paused. She couldn't make sense of the story until Laura knew. How would she break it to her lightly? She needed to do it now. Now or never. How though? 

"What happened?" Laura asked. 

Carmilla looked down at Laura's neck. That's it. 

"Fuck it." Carmilla muttered. 

She walked to the door of the room and turned on the lights.   
She walked out of the door of the room, used her speed to run to the kitchen and uncover the secret pouches of blood under the discreet kitchen tiles that could only be lifted with her super strength. The tiles hid a fridge that held a hundred or so plastic, hospital grade blood pouches. She grabbed the chilled pouches and shoved them under her shirt, running up to the room again.

"What was that about?" Laura raised an eyebrow, fixing the duvet over her crossed legs.

"Laura, what I am about to tell you now must never be repeated by those lips of yours, ever." Carmilla looked at her with a serious glare. 

Laura hesitated a nod. Carmilla took one of the three pouches and walked over to the bed, raising her shirt to drop the other two onto the bed. Carmilla looked at Laura's tracing eyes as Carmilla licked her teeth, feeling her fangs grow. She parted her lips and put the sachet to her mouth, watching Laura's eyes widen. Carmilla bit into the pouch, sucking the blood quickly and efficiently. She finished, throwing the now unfilled plastic onto the duvet.

"Protein supplement?" Laura tried. Carmilla rolled her eyes.

"Did you not see my teeth?" Carmilla yearned. She had to enlighten her now.

"Um, I don't know. What was that?" Laura said cautiously. She was well aware, trying to stall the conclusion as much as possible. Carmilla grew frustrated and slumped onto the bed next to the smaller girl.

"I'm a blood sucking fiend of the night. I'm a bat, I'm a cat, I'm a centuries old, super fast, super strong being." Carmilla took a breath. Laura's breathing fastened.

"I'm a vampire, Laura."


	6. Bats and Cats

For the first few minutes, the words echoed in her head, ringing in her ears. The milliseconds it normally took for her to decipher somebody's speech took ten times longer. 

"Laura?"

Laura burst out into laughter. She laughed for a firm two minutes. Carmilla watched Laura laugh, and caught the contagion. 

"Shut up." Laura said, still laughing. Carmilla stopped abruptly and glared at Laura.

"Wait, what do you think I'm drinking?" Carmilla said, picking up a pouch of blood next to Laura.

"I don't know, uh, vitamins? A really thin pomegranate and apple juice smoothie?" Laura's laugh was fading as she looked at Carmilla's far from joking expression. 

"No, no. Laura, this is medically graded, a hundred percent certified blood." Carmilla looked at Laura's expression. It didn't change. She laughed again. 

"Yeah right. Bite me, vampy." Laura giggled, flailing her hands and acting flimsily. Carmilla tighten her jaw. 

"Laura, I'm being serious here." Carmilla threw a bag of blood onto Laura's lap.

Laura froze.

"Vampires don't exist. They're just myth." Laura said uncertainly. She slipped to the edge of the bed inspecting the bloodbag.

"I am not a myth, Hollis." Carmilla crossed her arms, putting her weight on one leg. 

"I don't believe you." Laura's expression was serious.

"You're really stubborn aren't you? Of all the people I've ever told, you're the most stuck in the mud."

"Prove it first." Laura raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Can you bite me?"

"No fucki-"

"I am. Do it. Or I leave this place again."

"I could easily find you." Carmilla made a disgusted face. 

She couldn't let Laura get hurt by another man again. She came too late last time. Her body trackers were still in beta stage. Good idea hiding them in her shoes though, she reminded herself to thank Walter later.

"Try me." 

Carmilla sighed. She looked down at her bare feet. If she bit Laura now, it would simply have to be a little prick and a nip of her blood. But then if Isabelle was after Laura, then god knows what Laura's blood would do to her. 

"I can't do that."

"Where are your fangs?"

"I need to be thirsty."

"I am growing more and more skeptic." Laura rolled her eyes and huffed.

"I just drank an entire bag. That's one of my three a day."

"Fine. You're a vampire. Hypothetically. So now what?" Laura looked at the woman brooding in her thoughts.

"That's where things get tricky." Carmilla looked down. Laura looked at her disbelievingly. 

Carmilla decided to explain the basics of the situation, from the beginning to the end. Some things she didn't want to tell. She didn't need to know all things, right?

"What's the gene called?"

"We don't know."

"Who's we?" Laura slumped back on the bed distraughtly.

"I'll tell you that as it comes along. We're related."

"This is crazy. So I have this gene?"

"Apparently. It stops your body overriding their saliva's powerful content when they bite you."

Laura paused. 

"Can you get rid of the gene?"

"No."

"Do you have it?"

"No I don't. Vampires and werewolves are like opposites. If I had the gene I'd have both werewolf and vampire feats like transforming at full moon and drinking blood. Some vampires do though."

"Like who?"

Carmilla averted the subject quickly. She looked into Laura's eyes, marvelling momentarily at the complexity of colours as the dim lights created a combination that made her oblivious about everything.

"Talk more in the morning. It's getting late." Carmilla took the blood sachets and walked to the door, flipping off the light switch. 

She shook her mind off Laura, decided she needed to relax. It was at times like these she wished vampires could sleep. 

Laura wanted her to stay, craving her mere presence to protect her, vampire or otherwise. She rapidly thought of a pointless question to deter her from leaving. 

"Carmilla, do you like garlic?" Laura spoke before Carmilla closed the door. Carmilla laughed softly, making Laura smile.

"What do you think?" Carmilla smiled.

"Yes?"

"Goodnight, creampuff."

"Hey, I heard that!" Laura spoke loudly through the thin crack in the door as Carmilla shut it. Carmilla laughed under her breath and slumped back against Laura's door. She put her hand to her forehead and breathed deeply, grinning wildly. 

She knew, oh, she knew the feelings were coming back. She hadn't felt this since Ell. Never even for Isabelle. Laura was something special. She had to hold on to her somehow.

•

"Morning, sunshine." Carmilla lowered her newspaper and spied Laura walking in and rubbing her eyes.

"Who says that anymore?"  
Laura smiled under her deep and raspy morning voice.

"Three hundred year old vampires. Here I was thinking that was a modern thing to say."

Laura smirked and breathed in the smell of a big breakfast. 

"Toast and tea?" Carmilla offered, putting down her paper.

"Are you British now too?" Laura laughed.

"Nope. I just haven't been shopping for a while." Carmilla smiled back, standing up and grabbing two plates from a fine wood cupboard. The food was already laid on the luxury kitchen island.

"I'm sure I'd love a cup of tea, but I think I need to get a change of clothes." Laura looked at Carmilla biting into a slice of buttered toast. Carmilla crunched in Laura's silence.

"Thanks for having me, Carm. I think I need to go." Laura smiled and walked over to the girl leaning over two cups of freshly made tea. Carmilla continued to crunch her toast, speechless. Laura hugged Carmilla softly and pulled away.

"So I uh, um, I'm just gonna go, is that okay?" Laura hesitated and pointed her thumbs back in the direction of the front doors. 

Laura looked at Carmilla's expressionless face, simply munching her toast, and now sipping tea.

"Where are you going to go?" Carmilla put down her cup of tea and toast, wiping her hands on a serviette.

"Home." Laura's heart raced.

"Where is your home?" Carmilla stood up.

"It's uh," Laura watched Carmilla walk closer and closer, keeping an intense stare on her. Carmilla was nose was inches away from Laura's, and she could feel her softly breathe on her.

"Don't take me for a fool, Laura. You're staying with me." Carmilla whispered, looking straight through Laura's intimidated gaze.

"I, I never, I don't take you for a fool." Laura said, stepping back a little.

"Nonetheless, you are staying with me. I know your landlord kicked you out." Carmilla walked away, walking around Laura and back to her toast.

"How?"

"Have you ever read Dracula?"

"Yeah of course."

"Name the powers Dracula has."

"Has?! He's still alive?!" Laura took aback, opening her eyes wide.

"No he isn't. He was staked. Had is the correct word, apologies."

Laura stood relieved.

"He drank blood, turned into bats, um," Laura paused, thinking. "Um, mind control?"

"As well as that, we read minds. Not all thoughts, only the most basic. I could also sense your heart racing as you attempted to lie to me."

"Sorry."

"Where were you going to go?" Carmilla turned and walked back to her tea.

Laura fumbled with the rim of her shirt.

"Back to the streets, I guess. I want to look for Danny."

"Do you know how dangerous that is? Even after last time?" Carmilla scowled, sipping her tea. Laura tried not to laugh, being unable to take someone sipping tea while chastising her.

"Don't laugh at me, Hollis."

"Right, sorry." Laura snorted.

"Your safety is the most important thing right now. You're staying here until further notice."

"I can stay at a hotel, I can find work as soon as possible." Laura said, offering to attempt a little less work on a Carmilla's part.

"No. You stay with me. All day, everyday. All night, everynight. You don't go to work."

"What about when you work?"

"I don't need to leave the house that much. When I do, you can stay here."

"Okay." Laura nodded, look at Carmilla reading her widespread paper.

"Thank you, Carm."

"My pleasure." Carmilla looked up at Laura again. "Speaking of work, I have to leave the house at eight tonight. I have business."

"Can I come?" Laura asked sheepishly.

Carmilla glared at Laura aggressively.

"If you get bored here, you can call your friends over. But you need to tell me their names before six tonight."

"Okay." Laura knew who she'd be calling. She wondered how LaFontaine and Perry were since Saint Patrick's. They hadn't called since.

"I need to shower, you know where my room is. Knock on the door if you need anything." Carmilla stood up, and walked into the hallway, up the massive marble stairs. Laura simply watched as Carmilla was at the top of the flight, and stopped.

"Knock if you'd like to save water, too." Laura could see Carmilla's distant smirk as her words echoed off the massive walls of artwork and chandeliers. Laura blushed. She wasn't that eager to save water.

•

"Uh, LaFontaine and Perry."

"Full names."

"Why? Are you putting them onto some mass record?"

"Full names." Carmilla said, picking up the chalk. She rotated her cue and rubbed the chalk on the tip.

"Okay, okay. Susan LaFontaine and Lola Perry."

"You call your friends by their last names?"

"Yeah."

"Hm."

"What?"

"That's a quite a vintage thing to do."

Laura nodded, not knowing what to say. 

"Is it my go?" Carmilla questioned.

"Nope." Laura smirked and quickly hit her go with her cue. She got a ball into a pocket. 

"Lucky shot." Carmilla rolled her eyes. "And it wasn't your go, you cheat." Carmilla leaned over and hit the last ball into a pocket, getting it in. 

"Hey, that's cheating!"

"You took my go, in all fairness." Carmilla smirked and returned her cue into it's case in the wall. 

"I still won."

"What?" Carmilla scrunched her face up and put her hands on her hips in a flurry. Laura grinned.

"It's really funny when you get all big and tough like that, you know." Laura returned her cue to Carmilla, who simply threw it onto the pool table.

"I don't like to be funny." Carmilla sashayed out of the pool room and Laura trailed while giggling.

"Typical you."

"Anyway, I have to get ready. I have things to do in two hours."

"What? It's only six. You had to leave at eight." 

"I like to be well prepared." Carmilla smiled and winked. 

She turned and skipped Laura's reaction on purpose, sensing the most-likely-blushing girl's heart racing like a horse.

•

Carmilla locked the door behind her and walked slightly rapidly to the safe hidden under her bed. Carmilla dragged the bed to the right and unlocked the safe. She recovered the massive pouches of powder paraphernalia and bags of exotic dried herbs by the bunch her hands and stuffed them into a metal suitcase. She locked the suitcase shut and flipped the door back into the safe and twisted the lock, grabbing the suitcase. She moved the bed back and sat on it, flipping through a list of contacts on her phone.

"Aaron, Michaela, Benson," Carmilla whispered to herself as her thumb flipped through them. Her contacts' name was unknown and was only given to her through other users. She came upon a contact named 'X'.

"Bingo." She whispered again. 

212 Southwark street, the third alley parallel the butchers. - X

Carmilla stood up and pressed a button under the bed, speaking simultaneously.

"Miss Karnstein."

"Get the car ready, I'm heading out in five."

"Very good, madam."

Carmilla leaned back and breathed. She was bored. She stood up and walked out the room, sensing Laura somewhere in the building. She detected a warmth on the roof, where they were the other day. 

•

"Hey." Carmilla walked behind the light brunette's small body and wrapped her warm arms around her. 

"Hey. Do you have go yet?" Laura turned and asked. The wind blew softly through her hair, making Carmilla brush it back for her.

"Yeah. In a few minutes."

"Can I come?"

"Laura, you know-"

"I can stay in the car!" Laura tried for the last time.

"No. Just call your friends over, okay?" Carmilla felt sorry for Laura being trapped. "I'm sorry, but I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"Yeah, because all I am is some werewolf experiment." Laura turned away and looked into the night lights below.

"No! Laura, no! You are not just some expensive experiment I'm trying to guard. God no. You mean so much more to me, and I don't know how to put it into words." Carmilla found herself in a soft spot, almost fumbling her words. How did she feel about Laura? What were her word options? Carmilla looked at Laura's glistening eyes in the dark staring at the buildings. She didn't reply.

Carmilla walked around to face Laura and hugged her, trying to give Laura as much warmth as possible - she was freezing. Laura eventually hugged her back and they stood there in each others arms for the remaining minutes before Carmilla had to go. 

Laura pulled away to remind the dark haired girl to go, as Carmilla leaned down and kissed Laura. Laura parted her mouth and allowed her lips between hers. Laura moved her arms up to Carmilla's waist and Carmilla reciprocated, putting her hands on Laura's jaw. Laura slid her tongue through Carmilla's parted mouth, causing Carmilla to hum slightly. Carmilla was the first to break. They both heaved, and stared at each other before bursting into grins. Carmilla walked backwards while still smiling at Laura.

"I need to go." Carmilla found it hard to speak while smiling, making her cheeks hurt. 

"Go." Laura said, running to Carmilla again and kissing her in a rapid succession. They both laughed and Carmilla's chest expanded. Carmilla turned and jogged through the roof door and down the stairs.

•

Carmilla pulled up a block away from the butcher's adjacent alley, carrying the metal suitcase and sporting black aviators. She pulled into the alley, immediately coming upon a tall, ginger figure. She was almost an entire foot taller than her.

"X." Carmilla boomed.

"Do you have my order?"

"Do you have my money?" Carmilla retorted at the cockiness of her client. She looked down and saw the woman hold out another suitcase. Carmilla stuck her hand out and tried for the suitcase, before the woman pulled back.

"I want my stuff first."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Carmilla sighed, raising an eyebrow. X's face fell angry.

"Let's try this again, shall we? I want my-"

"Carmilla?" 

Both women turned around and glanced at the small woman's silhouette at the end of the alleyway. 

"Shit, shit, shit." Carmilla hissed, walking straight for Laura. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Laura exclaimed, before looking up at X. She paused.

"Laura?" X frowned.

"Danny?" Laura exclaimed.

"Laura you know her?" Carmilla said. 

"So you're with a fucking drug dealer now?" X spoke with disbelief and fake laughter.

"We are not together. And it's none of your business." Laura spat back. Carmilla froze at Laura's words.

"None of my business? How much money did I spend on that waste of a rehab centre?! How much money did I spend on your care in hospital after your fucking relapse?!"

"It's none of your business, Danny!" Laura shouted, her eyes started to well up and she clenched her fists as Carmilla simply stayed put next to her.

"How much money, did I spend to care for your ass after fucking Kravitz had to charge us double for six months in a row, after you set our apartment on fucking fire?!" Danny was screaming at this point, and Laura was trying to be as menacing as possible, frowning as tears flowed consistently down to her chin.

"What about you, huh? Buying from a drugs from a stranger in an alley at night? You're a double standard hypocrite, Danny!" Laura screamed, using volume to stop her sobs from being audible.

"Laura why the hell are you here?" Carmilla grabbed Laura's fist and turned her, glancing at Laura's bloodshot eyes. 

"That's the slut you've been fucking for your daily gram and joint." Danny's rage escalated immediately as she saw Carmilla care for Laura the same way she would if she was ever upset. 

Danny furiously stepped forward and swung the suitcase in her arm towards Laura's turned head and it sufficed a crack as the two made contact. Laura's body swung into Carmilla's arms, immediately causing blood to leak out of Laura's facial orifices. 

"LAURA!" Carmilla screamed, using her massive roar of a voice, almost awakening the entire neighbourhood. 

Carmilla slumped to the ground with the unconscious body in her arms, coating her in rich, deep blood. Danny knelt with her hands over her ringing ears, looking at the blood leaking off of the small body. 

Quick thinking led Danny to pull a small lidded vial out of the suitcase and she scooped up a decent roll of blood on Carmilla's leather pants. Carmilla was helplessly furious. Danny stood up with the small sample of blood, screwing the top in again.

"Duty calls." Danny smiled at Carmilla's furious face.


	7. Medically Medical

"Ugh," 

"She's awake!"

"Don't be so loud, Susan."

"It's LaFont-"

"Will you both just be quiet?"

Laura opened her eyes and found herself facing the the floor. She gasped, surprised. She yelled.

"Laura, Laura it's okay you're just laying on your front." Carmilla placed a hand on her back and calmed Laura. 

Laura suddenly felt a torrential pain at the back of her head, almost like a poker sizzling on a terrible migraine epicentre. Carmilla felt Laura's heartbeat increase.

"Guys she's panicking, look." LaFontaine pointed toward the heart monitor as it beeped faster and faster. 

"Laura, it's okay. Relax. You're in the hospital. You're with us." Perry informed her with the facts in attempt to comfort her. Her heartbeat stopped increasing and eventually levelled. Within five minutes of being completely conscious again, Laura still spoke no words, leaving the trio beside her uncomfortable.

"How did it happen?" Perry asked.

"I think she was her ex." Carmilla replied.

"Which one?" LaFontaine asked. Perry nudged them in the ribs, making her wince.

"She's tall, and uh, she's ginger too."

"Danny." The gingers spoke in unison. 

"Yeah. She rammed a hard suitcase right at Laura's head."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know." Carmilla fibbed.

"Where did it happen?"

"Why were you guys together in the first place?"

Carmilla's mind grew anxious with the questions bombarding her. She didn't know how to answer them all, and Laura wasn't talking to her. She had her own questions to justify as well.

"Guys please, be quiet." Laura croaked. All three leaned towards Laura facing the floor, lying on a face pillow with a hole in the middle. 

"Sorry, Laur." LaFontaine murmured.

"Do you guys mind if I talk to Carmilla for a bit?" 

Perry and LaFontaine gave Carmilla stern looks and shuffled out of the room. Once out, Carmilla walked to the room blinds facing the corridor and closed them.

"Laura-"

"Carmilla, why did you never tell me?"

"Tell you what? I tried to tell you what I could."

"I asked you what you did for a living and you never told me. It's easy to just say 'I sell drugs, cutie'." 

"It's not that easy."

"And why the hell did you never tell me you were dealing with my fucking ex-girlfriend?" Laura's voice could no longer increase in ferocity, as soft as it was. Being in a coma for over forty eight hours, no water and food resulted in a hoarse throat. Laura gasped and coughed. Carmilla paused, sitting on a stool with her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Laura." Carmilla murmured, looking at the floor. "This is all my fault."

Laura shut her eyes and sighed. 

"Get the doctor. I need to know what's going on."

•

"I have enough money saved up. I don't need to keep going." Carmilla changed gears, keeping her eyes on the road.

"But won't you need it eventually?"

"I've been doing this ever since before illegal drugs established itself in our world. I have too much money saved." Carmilla looked across at Laura. 

She was a much better sight. Laura's shaved hair from her stitches had started to grow back from two months earlier. Her drab, pale face had regained it's natural and full colour once more. Everyday Carmilla noticed something Laura had recovered from. It also recently seemed she'd gained a little weight. Carmilla looked down at Laura's belly. It was definitely larger than before the accident. Carmilla didn't complain.

"Besides, we have more important things to worry about." Carmilla continued.

"I don't know, Carmilla." 

"I need to know why they're on hiatus. I expected them to do something at the hospital."

"Like what?"

"Take you while I was sleeping? Take more blood samples? I was stupid enough to stand there stationary and useless in front of Danny. I should've got you out as soon as Danny spoke your name."

"Stop blaming yourself. I'm fine now." Laura pressed her lips together to form a stern smile. "Besides, at least now you know I'll never return to another one of my exes." Laura joked.

"I know, and I thank my lucky stars every day." Carmilla smiled and kissed Laura and wrapped an arm around her. She drove one handed. 

"Any news from the doctor?" Carmilla asked.

"No, I didn't get any of the results from last time. Today I get them." 

Carmilla pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked it as close as possible to the entrance. They walked through into the reception and signed in, waiting eagerly for the doctor to let them in. A few minutes passed before their doctor let them through, leading them to a screening room for results.

"I think your friend may want to stay here for now." The doctor smiled friendly, urging toward the waiting seats outside the room. 

"Oh, uh, she's my uh," Laura puzzled and looked for the correct word to describe their relationship.

"The results are quite, uh, complex." The doctor paused to ensure Laura wanted to go in with Carmilla.

"Carm, I think you'd better wait out here for a few minutes." Laura spoke softly and reassuringly to coax Carmilla to stay outside. Carmilla glared at the doctor and nodded slowly.

Laura walked through with the doctor as he walked to his desk and shuffled some papers.

"You aren't Ellen, are you?"

"Oh, uh no I'm Laura, Laura Hollis."

"Ah yes. Hollis. Poor miss Hicks is another sad case."

"What happened?"

"Terrible stab wounds. Extreme blood loss. She may not make it unless a blood donor can donate almost all their blood to her. Her girlfriend was in tears and hasn't left the hospital since she was admitted a week ago. Sad, sad case."

Laura froze. Carmilla had medical grade blood. She had to ask her to see if she had enough.

"Anyway miss Hollis, this is simply a check up to see if your hair is growing back over the stitches normally. Your other injuries are fine. Are you experiencing any memory loss?" The doctor used his gloved fingers and gently prodded over the mainly healed stitched scar.

"No, everything's good." Laura smiled at the admittance to not only the doctor but to herself too. 

Everything was good so far. Carmilla was out of the drug ring and nobody was after her anymore. Well, for now.

"Well after looking through your results, there's more good news! Just to clarify, that is your girlfriend sitting out there waiting for you, right?"

"I think so. I don't know. I guess so." Laura waited for the good news.

"Well either way, congratulations! I got no leeway or notice, but it clearly shows it." The doctor held a paper in his hand with some sort of ultrasound.

"Excuse me?"

"There's no need to act modest, congratulations on your pregnancy, miss Hollis!"

•

Laura left the screen room with the doctor smiling at both her and Carmilla.

"Congratulations again you two." The doctor said softly as he walked back into the reception. 

"Congratulations?" Carmilla made a puzzled expression.

"Everything's healed up perfectly! In a month or two I should be fully recovered." Laura said. She tried not to choke or burst into tears. She triple checked her words to make sure no white lies or false leads came out of her mouth. Carmilla had a great memory for a three century old creature of the night.

"Alright then. Let's celebrate! I think your friends are waiting in the reception. So let's hit the bar. I'll drive." Carmilla smiled, jogging ahead to get the car ready. 

Laura stopped walking as soon as Carmilla turned a corner. She slumped down onto a waiting chair against the wall. She sat and put her head in her hands, tears coming so easily she didn't even feel them. She looked at her belly and noticed it. She never gained weight, it was a baby belly. She shut her eyes and grit her teeth, pulling her hair in her fists. How the hell could she break it to Carmilla?

•

"Heard the great news, Laura! Congrats!" Perry laughed, already surprisingly intoxicated since Laura came out of the bathroom. She vomited while she was there. Nobody knew yet.

"Thanks, Perry. Where's the rest of the guys?" Laura smiled.

"Oh, LaFontaine is by 'the booth'." Perry used her fingers to point out inverted commas while saying 'the booth'. Laura assumed it was the booth Carmilla knocked out Isabelle.

"Carmilla?" Laura replied.

"No idea. I think she's outside, said she had to get something from her car." Perry said, slurring slightly. Damn, how much had she drank?

"Thanks, Perry." Laura patted her shoulder gently and walked over to LaFontaine's booth, who was talking to two ladies and a another man. 

"Perry." Laura mouthed while pointing in the direction of Perry. LaFontaine nodded and stood up immediately to make sure Perry was okay. It was a little language between Laura and LaF, a little unspoken deed between them to protect Perry when she got a little too excited.

Laura walked past the booth and out of the exit, running her thoughts wild. Just four months earlier, Carmilla had knocked out a nice girl across her in a booth. After dragging her out, she dragged her home to sleep with her. Oh how the times have changed. Laura walked towards Carmilla's car, looking at the dark vampire sitting on the hood smoking a roll of something. Carmilla looked across the low car lot barrier across the street and at different buildings. She took a long drag, tapping the ash away at the ground before stepping on it with her black suede ankle boots. Laura walked slowly behind the vampire, unsure if Carmilla knew whether she was there or not. Carmilla took another drag, and prolonged the smoke in her lungs exhaling with no force. She paused taking another drag. 

"Do you have something to tell me, Laura?" Carmilla looked down at freshly fallen ash and stepped on it again. She didn't turn around.

"Huh?" Laura walked closer even slower, trying not to get stuck in her tracks. She looked down at her belly and instinctively put a hand over it. She snapped the hand away.

"Laura, who the hell have you been fucking? You're practically about to give fucking birth." Carmilla turned, tossing the joint under her car tire. "Why didn't you tell me straight away?"

"I, I," Laura was lost for words. 

"What are you gonna do?" Carmilla said again, walking closer to Laura, leaning back on her car's windows, facing Laura and her pregnant physique.

"I don't know." Laura whispered, trying her best to prevent her voice cracking.

"How did it happen?"

Laura inhaled sharply.

"Before you met me, I was an addict. A hard one. I fucked guys for the money to get what I needed. Danny, she found out, and the same morning I guess I forgot to take the morning after pill." Laura shut her eyes and opened them, staring at Carmilla's expression.

"What are you going to do?" Carmilla repeated again.

"I don't know. Keep it?" Laura murmured.

"What's it's sex?"

"She's a girl."

"Fuck." Carmilla cursed under her breath, turning and putting her head on the car.

"I'm sorry Carmilla."

"Have you had any drinks?"

"Like alcohol?"

"Yeah."

"No. Perry and I swapped. I've been drinking-"

"Apple juice. I read your mind when you felt sick. You went to the bathroom to throw up. That's when it made sense." Carmilla breathed deeply.

Laura kept her mouth closed, staring at the vampire in front of her.

"Okay. Let's go home." Carmilla said, opening the car door for Laura. 

"Wait what about them?" Laura said pointing at the bar.

"I'll call a taxi for them later. Just get in."


	8. Français?

"Shall we, m'lady?" Carmilla held the front door open.

"We shall, ma'am." Laura laughed back, walking out of the door and towards Carmilla's car. Carmilla caught up quickly behind her, linking arms with Laura. She tried to ignore her ever growing belly. 

"What do you feel like tonight? I'm craving a bit of Italian, but then I want Indian."

"I see you're craving 'I' today." Carmilla said nonchalantly. Laura got the hint and crossed her arms and pouted humorously. Carmilla looked at her and smiled softly. 

The both of them had been making sexual advantages on each other at home, most of them ending in frustration. Carmilla was never able to do anything to Laura, being terrified of Laura's fragile health. She tried to avoid touching her in areas that may discomfort her. Laura on the other hand was the opposite, and simply no longer had the physical capacity to do anything to Carmilla. Some nights they slept separate. The worse nights ended in tears and shouting.

They got into the car and drove the entire ride with peppered comments and small talk. Neither wanted to talk about the elephant in the room; the baby in Laura's tummy. It had been a week since the screen results, and the pair of them had blatantly ignored the subject. 

They eventually both decided they wanted French, so they drove to an expensive restaurant called 'Mort', which seemed quite controversial to Laura. They walked up to the entrance, skipping the long line of people waiting to be seated behind the velvet barrier.

"Reservation under Karnstein?"

"Ah yes, miss Karnstein. Back so soon?" The waiter acknowledged Carmilla to a high regard that Laura noticed quite clearly. Back so soon? When had Carmilla been here before?

"The food here is great, François. Make sure Jeremy cooks for me again." Carmilla smiled and gave the 'François' a five hundred dollar tip right off the bat. The waiter walked off into the back of the restaurant and left Laura gawking.

"My god, do you do that every time you walk into a restaurant?" Laura said with a shocked expression. 

"This is one of my favourite places to eat, cherie." Carmilla said the French word eloquently. 

"I can see that." Laura said in a hushed whisper as François came back with two menus in his arm.

"This way, ladies." François had a very thick and heavy accent, making the restaurant aura more authentic. They followed le serveur through fancy tables and walked on a deep red carpet. The couple were sat next to a wall with a gorgeous painting covering it. 

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Laura murmured. Carmilla smiled, pleased Laura had remembered her words. They sat and read through the foreign menu. 

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. I can't read any French." Laura said, making a confused face. 

"Do you want me to order for you?" 

"Sure. Surprise me." Laura smiled, using a hand to rub her stomach.

François came around, received their orders, and came with their meals within the hour. They began to eat. Carmilla watched silently as Laura inspected her food. Laura lifted a fork and prodded a hard object in her meal, place on top of thin creamy sauce. Within seconds, Laura paused.

"Wait,"

Carmilla tried to hide a smirk.

"Carm,"

Carmilla smiled and used a hand to hide her chewing mouth.

"NO." Laura squealed.

Carmilla broke into laughter.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Laura stood up from the table and dropped her cutlery to the floor, disturbing the other rich, fancy customers. Carmilla couldn't help but laugh harder as the diners gave Laura dirty looks. She stood up motionlessly staring at the escargot laying before them. 

"Laura, sit down." Carmilla giggled between breaths.

Laura complied, slightly embarrassed by the uproar she caused. She sat and made a disgusted face as Carmilla laughed quietly. 

"This will never get old." Carmilla snickered, still chuckling.

"It's not funny! You know I don't like snails." Laura said, crossing her arms. 

"Do you wanna swap meals?" Carmilla suggested through a broad grin. Laura stared at Carmilla's soupy meal.

"What are you eating?"

"Try it."

"Does it have snails in it?" 

Carmilla laughed.

"No, Laura." Carmilla took her soup spoon and scooped up the red sauce mixed with a variety of vegetables. She blew on it and carefully extended her arm to Laura. Laura took the mouthful uncertainly and swallowed.

"Not too bad, huh?" Carmilla breathed, resuming her normal mood.

"What's it called?"

"Ratatouille."

"Oh my god a mouse did not actually cook that." 

"No, it didn't." Carmilla smiled and rolled her eyes at Laura's obsession with Disney movies fuelling her real life knowledge. Carmilla swapped their plates, eating Laura's escargot happily. They munched away and sipped on their fine wine, talking about daily occurrences and little facts about each other.

"Did you know my father won't let me buy a smartphone because he's scared kidnappers will find a high definition picture of me on the Internet?" Laura giggled, swallowing a gulp of fresh juice. 

Carmilla laughed. She only imagined Laura's father breaking into cardiac arrest if he only knew of her daughter's acts recently. She shook her head and smiled.

"Did you know when I was only a kid, me and my friends would steal gold from the rich people and sell it?" Carmilla laughed and snorted at the ridiculousness of imagining of even doing that today.

Laura laughed, leaning forward to wipe away tears of happiness. Laura took a deep breath and attempted to relax. Carmilla took a look at the beautiful girl in front of her, deciding she wanted to keep on making her laugh forever. 

"Did you know, ever since Val-" Carmilla cut herself off. She'd gone too far. Her tongue slipped. Shit.

"Who's Val?" Laura questioned, sipping the expensive mix of exotic fruits.  

"Oh no just an old friend." Carmilla lied, trying to laugh it off. Carmilla finished her glass of wine, before thinking and standing up, offering her hand to Laura.

"Come with me, I want to show you something." Carmilla stood and smirked down at Laura, admiring her simply standing up and accepting her hand.

"This better be worth my while." Laura teased, edging her head close to Carmilla's as they walked towards the back of the restaurant. 

Carmilla led Laura into the five star quality bathroom of the restaurant, immediately scooting Laura up against the wall of the empty place. 

"You don't like to mess about, do you, Carmilla?" Laura took aback by the suddenness of Carmilla.

"Messing about is for losers." Carmilla edged her lips closer to Laura's.

"Is this what you needed to show me, then?" Laura said, whispering her words onto Carmilla's soft lips. 

"I just needed to tell you something." Carmilla whispered.

Their noses touched with each breath they took. They held back kissing, making the atmosphere even more sexual. Carmilla's head leaned into Laura's neck, planting small and soft kisses below her jawline.

"I like you." Carmilla rasped the words into Laura's ear, making her goosebumps raise. Carmilla grazed Laura's earlobe with her sharp canines. Laura moaned softly, softly grasping Carmilla's navy blue shirt.

"Somebody's hungry." Laura smiled onto Carmilla's neck. 

Laura raised her hands and placed them on to Carmilla's face, the both of them simultaneously opening their lips as they pressed on top of one another perfectly. Carmilla extended her tongue into Laura's mouth to experiment, making Laura dig her fingers into Carmilla's back even more. So much experimenting, so little care for the world around them. They rolled onto the bathroom door, unaware.

"Excuse me," A woman in her late fifties with a disgusted look threw the door open, pushing Carmilla onto Laura. Laura winced hard, cowering over her tummy. Carmilla turned around to see the woman scowling.

"Hey, what the hell was that?" Carmilla fixed her vest and took a step closer to Laura to ensure she wasn't hurt seriously. 

"Then next time I suggest you don't use this bathroom as somewhere to spread AIDS." The Frenchwoman spat. She began walking into a cubicle. Carmilla furiously walked up to her and shoved her out the way. 

"I think you misheard me. I believe meant apologise, not insult." Carmilla glared at the woman who was clearly taken aback. 

The woman looked into Carmilla's venomous eyes, seeing nothing but purely hypnotising red. The woman turned, immediately panicking.

"I'm terribly sorry, mademoiselle." The woman stood there, still under Carmilla's trance. She stood with her mouth open and her body completely still.

Carmilla took Laura's hand gently and led her out of the bathroom and to their table. Carmilla seated Laura slowly, making everything as slow and easy as possible for her. Laura didn't dwell too much on it. They both continued eating for a few minutes before Carmilla broke the silence again. 

"I'm sorry, she's a total asshole. Are you okay?" Carmilla looked at Laura's solemn face.

"The doctor's told me the expected date." Laura burst out, looking down as she avoided Carmilla's reaction.

"When is it?" Carmilla looked up from her food to Laura's eyes.

"Early august." Laura murmured.

"That's in less than six months."

"I know." Laura sighed, standing her ground.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Carmilla said it with a certain volatility that made Laura irritated.

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? I'm going to give birth, genius."

"Don't get smart with me, Hollis." Carmilla hissed and ducked her head low. She eyed the table next to them.

"What the hell else am I supposed to do?" Laura put her hands on the edge of the table and leaned in towards Carmilla, showing her dominance.

"You know what I want you to do. It's too much trouble."

"It is a she, you heartless monster. I am not getting rid of her."

Carmilla gritted her teeth and used all her might to stop herself from screaming supersonically. Laura needed a list of reasons as to why they would be terrible parents.

"Hollis, we do not even know what we are as a couple yet. I only stopped dealing drugs a god damn month ago and you have people after you. And guess what! They're not even people. They're fucking werewolves." Carmilla's face was bright red and Laura's was pale. 

Laura took in the words. She was right. She couldn't ask Carmilla to support a child as well as her. Laura's throat swelled and her heart clenched. She put her cutlery down and gulped down the rest of her juice.

"I'm ready to go now."

•

"You'd better ask her this time. I need to find the perfect gift."

"Okay, okay. But what if she's not?"

"It'll be fine. We've known each other since high school. But I know for sure she isn't just fat." Perry talked with her hands as they waited for the door to Carmilla's mansion to open. Carmilla was the first they saw as the massive doors opened. 

"Perry. LaFontaine." Carmilla nodded. She put on her trademark aviators and walked past them straight towards her car.

"I'm surprised she still knows our names." LaFontaine said, watching Carmilla's fine body swerve into her car.

"Let's find Laura, LaF."

They walked into the mansion and walked to the left, finding Laura stopping for breath as she leaned back and supported her belly. 

"Perry I don't care what you say, she is pregnant for sure."

The ginger couple ran to help Laura up the stairs to her bedroom and got her to lie down. Perry adjusted a pillow for the struggling woman. Laura was heaving heavily as she removed hair from her eye and tilted her head back. 

"Thanks, you guys." Laura sighed.

"When did you guys decide you wanted a baby?!" LaFontaine broke the obvious question, unable to hold back.

"That's the thing. We didn't." 

Perry and LaFontaine gave each other weird looks.

"What do you mean? Wait, did you get..." Perry trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence.

"No, no. Well," Laura decided to make things less complicated.

"I had a one night stand with some guy, and I forgot to take the pill. So here we are." Laura shut her eyes.

"How did Carmilla take it?" Perry asked.

"Not very well." 

Perry made an o with her lips and looked away. 

"She actually wants me to abort her." Laura finished. She was still heaving. LaFontaine frowned.

"You're not going to, right?" LaFontaine asked, sitting next to Laura on her bed.

"No way. If we're going to break up over this, then so be it. I want this child. Even if she was a creation by mistake. It's not her fault." Laura looked down at her future baby. This baby was her future. She vowed to keep this child safe with her life.

"Oh, by the way, we saw Carmilla on the way in. Where's she headed?" Perry noted.

"I don't know. She could probably be out to buy something. I haven't talked to her for a couple hours." Laura shrugged. The trio stayed quiet at the shock of the new news. They stayed silent and displayed solemn faces. Perry thought of the baby, leading to a better subject.

"Ooh! Have you thought a name?" Perry attempted to brighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah! What have you decided to name her?" LaF gently put their hand over Laura's warm belly and smoothed over it slowly.

"I'm going a hundred percent gender neutral." Laura confirmed. LaFontaine nodded their head firmly in agreement. Perry smiled.

"Taylor, Jessie, Charlie, Jordan," LaFontaine started listing a few off the top of their head and kept going. They surprised Perry and Laura with their extensive knowledge of neutral names.

"What? My transition was rough." LaF sheepishly stopped, embarrassed as Laura and Perry started to smile and encouraged her to keep going.

"Well, there is Elliot, Blake, Morgan, Jamie-"

"Hmm, I like that one." Laura smiled, rubbing her tummy.

"Jamie?" Perry continued almost in tears. She placed her hand to her chest and sniffled. All eyes turned to her as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

"Jamie." Laura confirmed, eyes welling in response. LaFontaine broke into smiles and urged Perry to come close as they hugged gently.

"I love you, Jamie." Laura whispered as her vision blurred with tears. She looked at LaFontaine leaning down and kissing the top of the little bump. Perry laughed.

"I can't believe it, Laura. You're having a baby!" Perry smiled and broke down into more tears.

"You guys immediately have all the rights." Laura laughed. 

"Thank god." Perry's eyes were pink as LaFontaine took her in for a hug and rubbed her back.

Around the open door of Laura's bedroom, Carmilla's eyes were trickled with tears as her advanced hearing picked up on every word. She held her sunglasses to her chest as she breathed gently. She rubbed her eyes and ruined her mascara, watching the silhouettes in Laura's room move. She smiled and wiped her eyes again. She put her ear to the open doorway and listened more. 

"I'm going to love you both with every fibre of my being." Carmilla whispered, feeling her lips tremble and her heart beat. She prayed to every god in the universe that Laura would be alright. 

•

"What time is the appointment?" Carmilla asked.

"How generous of you to ask when you'll just pay for my taxi and stay here anyway." Laura rolled her eyes angrily.

"No, I'm driving you. I don't trust the cab drivers enough to drive you. You're pregnant." Carmilla said as she grabbed her car keys off the table. Laura stood up from her chair and put down her cup of tea.

"It's in half an hour." Laura said, adjusting her shirt.

"Well then, I guess we'd better go." Carmilla pressed her lips together and combed her hair with her fingers. 

Laura walked out of the living room and out the already open main doors to the car, Carmilla watching Laura's tiny physique struggle to walk with the extra weight. Carmilla squinted at the sun as she walked out the door and decided to jog back in to quickly grab her black fedora. 

Unlocking the car to let Laura in, her heart sunk like an anchor as she saw Laura in the passenger seat, completely unaware of the person in the drivers seat. Laura turned her head, immediately screaming upon seeing the balaclavad person. 

Carmilla was stuck in shock, simply staring and panicking inside.

"CARMILLA!" Laura's muffled scream kicked Carmilla's courage to open the driver's door, revealing a pang of garlic in the car air as the balaclava donned driver threw a water bomb of holy water over Carmilla. 

Carmilla immediately fell to the gravel, writhing in pain and screaming curses. Carmilla's car backed out of the driveway, Laura still in the car with her side of the door wide open. Carmilla attempted to yell out Laura's name to no avail. Her hoarse screams were weak as the holy water sizzled on her skin like hot oil. She screamed in fury and pain as the sun beat down on her. Her sun block was still in her car. The car left through the gates and onto the main road. Carmilla's eyes trailed the car until it was out of sight, screaming one more time anyway, knowing truly well it wouldn't do shit to save Laura.


	9. Medically Painful

"HELP!" Laura's body jerked up against the thick leather straps bounding her to a bed. 

Laura's eyes glanced around at her surroundings. They were completely dark, the only source of light was beaming above her head. 

"Shut the fuck up, will you?" A very familiar woman strode into the room with heavy footing clunking onto the floor. Boots walking on stone, perhaps?

Laura tilted her head up and watched a blond walk to her immediate left. She struggled under the bright lights and heavy strapping. She raised her head enough to barely get a grasp of an array of shiny medical tools lined on a sheet of blue paper. Her eyes opened wide.

"What are you doing to me?!" Laura screamed, trying to use her fists to reach out at the leather buckle. Laura watched the woman turn around, getting a detailed view on exactly who she was.

Isabelle.

Being as small as she was, this situation was almost inevitably impossible. She quivered and her breathing was rapid.

"I believe I told you to shut your god damn mouth barely two seconds ago, Hollis." Isabelle placed a medical mask on and stepped back, applying a hair net and latex gloves. 

Laura panicked, not wanting to be touched. The woman attached Laura's limbs to tight metal cuffs at each corner, untying the leather straps. 

Laura's breathing was impossible as Isabelle raised Laura's shirt all the way above her head, handicapping her view. Laura's ears perked as the sound of beeping machines came to life around her, allowing her the impression that the room was relatively small.

"HELP! CARMILLA!" Laura tried once more, before Isabelle used a piece of cloth coated with a revolting taste to shove into Laura's mouth. 

Laura's voice was now completely muffled and helpless. Isabelle lathered a cold gel over Laura's belly bump making Laura hitch her hips upward. Isabelle traced her fingers up toward the direction of Laura's bra, toying with the rim and lifting it up slightly.

"Now I know what Carmilla sees in you." Laura could feel the smirk in Isabelle's voice as she moved her hands back down to Laura's belly.

"Within a few seconds, you should feel something slight. Tell me if you do." Isabelle said softly, making clunking noises with the tools close to Laura's ear. 

It grew silent for a moment, milliseconds before a sharp pain was located near Laura's right hip, directly under where her womb would be. Laura felt a cold liquid go through her skin, screaming and wriggling with all her might, not giving a care to her exhaustion.

"Did you feel it?" Isabelle snarked, taking out the syringe and dropping it into some metal container, evidently clanging in. 

Laura started sobbing uncontrollably seconds later, but not to her despair. Laura's lower torso immediately burned into flames, slowly feeling her legs being engulfed in a pain she never knew existed. She screamed till she was certain her throat was red raw and bleeding, now shivering her head. The pain from the liquid eventually led up to her chest and made it difficult to breath, as if the air were a vacuum trying to suck her lungs out of her mouth. Laura's tears made wet patches on her shirt pulled over her head, making Isabelle snicker quietly. 

The pain was now rapidly building towards Laura's head, terrifying her with the thought of death. The pain slowly ate away up her neck, and pressed needles as it eventually reached her face. Her eyes burned every time she blinked. Her breathing was almost non-existent and her body was on fire, being ground up into grains of sand. Laura's weeping didn't change her circumstances.

After an incalculable amount of time, Laura's body grew cold from the pain. The pain had barely subsided as Isabelle lowered Laura's shirt, removed the cloth in her mouth to give her a sip of water. Laura eagerly took the water and felt the cold substance dribble down her assaulted throat. She breathed too fast, giving her a light head and pains in her ribs. Isabelle used her hands and combed Laura's sweaty hair back onto her head neatly. 

"If you think that was painful, then you're in for a treat." Isabelle crooned, using her hands to softly caress Laura's cheek. Laura cried once more, forgetting she could speak like a human.

"What are you doing to me? Why are you doing this?" Laura's hoarse voice managed to choke out the words at Isabelle who took them seriously.

"Carmilla never told you?"

"She did." Laura spoke by using every ounce of air collectively left in her body. 

"Then don't be naive."

"Why me?" Laura coughed, looking down at her belly but unable to see the syringe mark under the baby bump. 

"Revenge?"

"What did I do?"

"Nothing. Carmilla did."

Laura paused and her brain managed to equate a sentence.

"What happened between you and Carmilla?"

"What do you think, honey?" Isabelle said the words in a way that made Laura's brain want to explode.

"You were more than friends." Laura whispered. Her whole life up until she met Carmilla had been a sad reoccurrence of the same narcotics over and over again. Now she was beginning to regret leaving her past for her. Carmilla had lied to her many times about her past, making Laura skeptical of everything Carmilla had ever told her.

"So much so that we had a child." Isabelle whispered back. 

Laura's mind was so incapable of the words that came out of Isabelle's mouth. She was in complete denial of everything in her presence. 

"Her name was Valerie." Isabelle spoke, clearly indicating it was true. "I birthed her. She was a gorgeous girl. You can guess why." 

Laura didn't speak, guessing it was because of the vampiric trait of beauty. Or Isabelle being completely self centred about her appearance.

"She grew up to be a beautiful toddler. Now, let me tell you something that you may not know. The morning of Saint Patrick's day. You had a dream about me. I put that into your mind to allure you to me. I messed up on that. Do you know what creature can do that?" Isabelle spoke slowly so that Laura would listen to every word.

"Vampires." Laura's voice was barely audible. Carmilla had dated a vampire.

"Yes, darling. I am a vampire. I am a lycanthrope. I am both. Call me whatever the hell you want. I am half vampire half werewolf." Isabelle's speech was getting more intense with ever word. 

"You can imagine my dismay when our little girl Valerie was only showing strict vampiric attributes. Werewolf traits are normally the ones that are shown first. Meat eating, howling, whatever you please. But no, they never showed. She turned five and nothing happened."

"Why the hell does this concern me?" Laura was physically and mentally borderline limbo, unable to focus on anything with the bright lights and cold bites she got littering her body.

"You want to know why I'm doing this, no? Carmilla and I had a child. She was mine for a century before we even thought about having a child. Her DNA encoded onto genetically modified sperm developed by her stupid vampire butler in her super advanced laboratory bullshit resulted in us having a vampire child. Oh no, they couldn't have that. The werewolf sanctuary didn't want vampire blood in the mix. They raided our home while Carmilla was away, killing our toddler right in front of my eyes. She bled in my god damned arms. And she BLAMED me for it."

Laura felt a tiny pang of guilt knowing Isabelle's century old ex girlfriend was about to have another child. Possibly not even that, she hadn't had the time to discuss with Carmilla. And now there might never be a time to discuss the abortion with Carmilla. Isabelle leaned in front of Laura's face, staring intently into her eyes.

"Carmilla immediately blamed me for everything. She threw herself out. She became silent. Turned to drugs. Sold them. Until you. She heard you had the gene for us to reproduce. She knew you were on our list. She saved you. She didn't want us expanding the clan. Revenge for killing our child was as simple as keeping you from our grasp." Isabelle took a deep breath and adjusted her gloves and hair net, playing with the medical instruments again. She chose a sharp, large scalpel and picked it up, inspecting it under the light.

"Now it's my turn. It was not my fault. She's not going to get another perfect child." Isabelle hissed, yanking Laura's shirt over her head again. Laura immediately snapped up, yelling again. 

"No, no, NO!" Laura wriggled and tried moving her limbs but nothing worked. 

Isabelle cut deep into Laura's lower abdomen causing Laura to immediately feel blood dribble down everywhere over stomach. She screamed with intense pain, knowing things were coming to an end. She screamed until she was out of breath, only to breath and scream again. Isabelle dragged the scalpel's head across the width of her hips, creating easy access to the womb. Laura's body grew weak. Blood was coming out of her at an astonishing rate. Her body was limp and her mind was dysfunctional. 

"It'll be alright. Stop fighting. It's over." Isabelle whispered.

She pressed her eyelids together before feeling another sharp pain. She wondered if Isabelle's voice would be the last she'd ever hear. She listened to the ingratiating voice. Her eyes wouldn't give way again. For once she stopped fighting. She laid motionless, not caring if she would ever wake up again.

Laura Hollis stopped fighting.

•

Beep beep beep beep

That is all she could hear.

Beep beep beep beep

Then shuffled footsteps. Laura attempted to open her eyes, allowing a mass amount of light into her eyes. Her setting hadn't changed, surprised to find her arms now by her side. She remembered Isabelle, and put her hand to her abdomen, noticing it was much smaller, but a bump still appeared. She pulled her had away from the sharp pain. She drew it forward again slowly this time, gently running her fingertips and feeling thick stitches all the way across her lower abdomen. She shut her eyes and they started burning. Tears came, but in small quantities. They must've ran out from earlier. She was so sick of crying.

The shuffled footsteps came again, she looked up, and yet another familiar face was present. She had never been less pleased to see another familiar face.

"How you feeling?" 

Laura didn't reply.

"Talk to me, Hollis."

She still didn't reply. The ginger walked over to her and showed a long syringe purposefully to Laura. Laura jerked her body away.

"What the fuck do you want?" Laura listened to her own voice surprised. It had gone deeper, thinner and raspier. She had almost lost it.

"Don't get me angry, Laura."

Laura screamed. She was so furious at everything. So upset. Where the hell was her baby? Clearly not inside of her.

"I'm not going to fight with you. Give me your arm."

"You're clearly a lot more sick in the head than I took you for." Laura croaked.

Danny grabbed Laura's arm and stabbed the syringe into Laura's elbow crevice, extracting a fair amount of blood. Laura didn't resist. There was no point.

"You happy? Working for someone who is going to probably fucking kill me?" Laura looked at Danny in disgust as she took the syringe out and placed a bandage over the wound. 

"They pay me fair. It's about triple the amount I had to pay for your rehab. So consider yourself paying me back triple for your failed mentality."

"So this is all because of my rehab? This is all because you paid for my rehab and it didn't work. Now you're strapping down and extracting my blood for someone paying you big bucks, huh?"

"You're catching on fast, Hollis." Danny laughed.

Laura didn't reply. Not that she needed to. The silence was enough.

"Do you feel any pain in your stomach area?"

"No." She lied.

"Can you breath and blink properly now?" 

"Yes." The substance Isabelle injected into her was supposed cripple her.

"Great." The word had never sounded so false.

Laura watched Danny turn around with the syringe and place it into a table next to her. She placed some onto a plastic dish and injected some other clear liquid onto the blood. Laura watched it blatantly sizzle until it rose up into the air in a pile of smoke.

Laura watched, not wanting to waste another breath on the enemy. 

"Do you know why you're here?" Danny said, not turning. 

Laura kept quiet.

"You have something in your blood. My client needs it."

If Danny needed her blood too, then she must be in some sick, twist of a deal with the werewolves.

"Once we confirm you've got the gene, they keep you under lock and key, making you generate blood until they create a synthetic version."

Laura felt so helpless, so pathetic. She stared down at her belly, seemingly shrinking every second.

"Where's my child?"

"You don't want to know." 

Danny was right. Laura didn't want to find out. Everything in her life had been a waste. She was a waste, brought in the world merely to be toyed by mythical creatures she never even knew existed. What a way to go. Her father would be less than pleased. She would never even say goodbye to him. Her eyes grew weak, simply staring into space and breathing in harshly.

"Lose the attitude. That's no way to go." Danny laughed, walking over to Laura patting her leg. 

Laura watched as another hand yet again starting drawing upwards near her. She was sick of being sexually objectified. So sick of being used for another person's pleasure. She clenched her fists and looked at her arms. They were completely free. So were her legs. The only question was when and where.

"I can make your pain vanquish. So let me." She whispered, leaving her mouth parted for effect. 

Laura seized the opportunity to cut a firm jab right across Danny's jaw, hoping to knock her out. The force knocked the large ginger back onto floor awkwardly. The punch seemed to leave her immobile, but time was of essence. Laura attempted to stand, creaking every joint and muscle in her body into agony. She slid off the bed and fell onto the floor onto Danny's long legs cursing loudly as her shoe dug into her ribs. She pushed herself up, spotting the medical tools on a wheeled tray. She grabbed onto a leg of the tray, balancing herself minimally. She used her forearm to slide all the tools onto the floor, leaving a couple on it as some sort of defence. She put her entire weight on the tray table, using her feet to push her body in the direction she desired. She looked down at the medical tools on Danny's body, feeling a sense of remorse. Of all the people who had tried to help her, Danny was by far the most helpful. She thought about her decisions, wondering if they'd still be together if she hadn't done that one night in the motel. 

"Sorry Danny." Laura whispered, shuffling her balance onto the tray more comfortably. 

She wheeled on around the room and found pain every time she straightened her back, making her hunch her back forward didn't help much, but any support wasn't taken for granted by her. She observed the walls, following them to each corner and eventually find some sort of archway leading to another section. She went through it, noting it was far more illuminated than her room. She scooted slowly and looked around. She seemed to be in some sort of rock cave catacomb. Lines of wooden crates lined next to each other in the rock walls with plaques next to them indicating names and dates. They were in rows of three. Laura looked to her left then to her right noting the rows were seemingly infinite. They reached all the way from where the eye could see in one end to the other. The lengthy cave was illuminated by long torches that seemed to be ages old, despite burning brightly. Laura decided to scoot to her right, pushing herself to where the light was the brightest at the end of the rocky tunnel. The wheels churning the rough stone under her echoed off the walls, making a slightly horrific sound imitating someone was behind her. She looked behind her and saw silhouettes of a massive crowd some sort of anthropomorphic beings. 

"Shit," Laura pushed as much as her legs would allow her, increasing the sounds of the wheels. She looked behind her as the crowd stopped moving and turned their heads to Laura. Laura ran and ran with the tray, trying to move as quickly as possible. She heard laughter from behind her. They weren't coming for her. She didn't think twice and used her legs to push far and long. She didn't give any attention to where she was running. She ran and ran. Countless bodies in their crate coffins passed her. She hoped Carmilla would somehow pop out of one of them and save her, telling her it'd be okay. She wanted Carmilla. Where was Carmilla? Curling up onto gravel in pain the last time she remembered. 

"Carmilla oh god please help." She begged.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fanfiction on the 25th of March, 2016. This is the largest read I've ever written in terms of fan fiction.
> 
> Good news! I'm planning a new Carmilla AU project! Send in your ideas and maybe we could even partner up for it.
> 
> I'd also like to apologise for any errors throughout the story. I have worked on this story entirely solo, so I have tried my best to edit it as best as possible. 
> 
> In terms of LaFontaine's pronouns, I deeply apologise, as half way through writing I remembered their pronouns were non-binary. I went back and corrected the majority, but being solo, there's still bound to be a mistake. Please leave a comment if you spot a pronoun mistake, I will correct it accordingly.
> 
> All in all, I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> Long live Hollstein.
> 
> ~Kingxo


End file.
